Cabalistic
by Katraa
Summary: [AU] Riku loved Sora. Sora flatout rejected him. Sometimes love isn’t so simple and realistic as we think. [riku x sora]
1. Prologue

_Welcome to the new story. Since Caller Number Nine has ended, or is ending, I decided to spend my time on this new fiction. I spent hours on end thinking of and idea and finally figured one out. Its new, its exciting, and dare I say frightening? Anyhow, I hope you enjoy it and make sure to leave a review. I promise it'll be unlike anything else. Can you say a slight horror story? _

_**Rating**: T+_

_**Pairings**: Soriku, others to be an._

_**Warnings**: Some intense horror later on, language, or perhaps suggestive themes._

_more to be added..._

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_Cabalistic  
Prologue_

Riku Karada had it all; the brains, the money, and certainly the looks. He had the new and exciting job as a journalist for the ever-popular Gaz. He had the fancy company sponsored sports car that he took everywhere. Hell, he even had the fancy home in the mountains. What else could an eight-teen year old _possibly _want? What could one want when they had it all?

Love, that was what. Ever since that one day during eighth grade, his love life had taken a major beating. It was at the end of the day, a Friday to be precise. The silver-haired boy had been sitting next to his brunette friend, who's name eluded him (more so forced himself to forget it). The brunette had been laying on the grass next to the sitting Riku, staring up at the clouds. Typically on Friday's their teachers would give the middle-schoolers twenty minutes of free time. Regardless, Riku had blindly admitted his interest in his friend.

And what the weird part was, was that Riku was not ashamed one bit. He knew he was not as _straight _as everyone would have liked him to be. Hell, he knew it the moment he locked eyes with that boy. Those beautiful blue eyes, that cute smirk and- and now he was getting a head ache from remembering all the details. Going back to the story, Riku had admitted he had a major crush on the boy. He wanted to be with him badly, seeing he was the first person that Riku had actually _cared_ about more than himself.

And that damned boy had stared at him, then told the whole _world_. The next day, which was Saturday, the whole school knew it, and on Monday snickers and teases were shot at Riku. All because of that little, back-stabbing boy he thought he _loved._ So basically, that stupid boy had screwed his love life over for good. Damned fool…

Fingers strummed the black steering wheel as the male continued. He had been requested to head down to Texas to report live from that sports dome that everyone was talking about. What ever its name _was_. And now he had to drive straight down from Canada all the way down to Texas within two weeks. No plane, no money, just the company car that was officially his. The cheap bastards.

Riku grumbled darkly as he eased his foot heavier onto the gas. The red corvette sped along down the dirt road as emerald eyes gazed to the scene around him. He was in the middle of nowhere. There was deserts on every side of him, and the only thing that looked somewhat civilized was the dirt road he followed. Not a soul or fellow car in sight for miles on end. Oh, he better be getting paid enormous amounts for this.

Emerald eyes focused and unfocused on the canyons around him. It was getting warm in this car, and just his luck he had gotten the car with no cover. The sun beat furiously down on his skin, causing Riku to become even hotter than he already was. With a flick of his wrist, the male turned on the air conditioner to pull blast. Cool air greeted his sun-kissed face as he leaned back in his seat, leisurely driving down that crappily made road.

Dexterously, Riku removed the black jacket he had on, swinging it over his shoulder to the seat behind him. Tightly sticking to his chest was a grey tank top accompanying a pair of jeans. He hadn't expected this ride to be so –hot-.

Regardless, Riku continued driving, easing the his foot harder against the gas pedal. The faster he got there the better. More interviews and reports and articles meant more money. And more money meant more happiness. Exactly, precisely, no other way to put it.

Everything was going great, for the most part, but of course-

"What?" Riku muttered darkly, noticing the car slowly losing speed. Eyebrows arched at once, sparing a glance at the gas level. Empty… Damn it all. "You've got to be kidding me." Riku cursed equally darkly, eyes narrowing at the little orange arrow that pointed to the E. Reaching towards it, the silver-haired teen jabbed the circle, thinking if he poked it enough, it would spike back to full. How naïve he really was.

As expected, the car decreased in speed until it came to a complete halt. An unamused sigh passed the business man's lips as he angrily pushed the door open, getting out, and aggressively kicking the tire. "You've got to be kidding me," He repeated with vengeance, leaning against the cherry red door with anger. Oh this was pointless.

An epiphany struck Riku as he moved his way towards the back of his car. Hands reached into the back seat, snagging his jacket. Fingers entered the black jacket, emerging with a black razor. A snicker passed his lips as he flipped the phone open triumphantly. "Thank you technology." He sneered, about to punch in the number to his corporation. Perhaps they could send a tow truck down to him and he could get a lift down to Texas.

"… no service?" Oh this just was not his day. Riku stared emptily at the corner of his cell phone, hoping that just one bar would appear. Hoplessly Riku began to walk back and forth near his car, hoping to pick up some connection. Nope, nothing. Nada. Zip.

Grumbling to himself, Riku tossed the phone onto the ground with rage. Things like this _never_ happened to him. He was … too good looking, too smart for things like this to happen? Why hadn't he put a spare tank of gas in the trunk? That was right… the price of gas was too high to be able to leisurely do that. Damn you society.

Riku grumbled, for what felt like the millionth time that day, and collapsed against his car, back sliding against the slick paint. Today was just a bad day. A horrible day. How he wanted something cold to drink. Something ice cold, perhaps a beer. Wait, he wasn't of drinking age… ah who cared? That sounded so nice right now and-

Riku lifted his gaze up momentarily to look around. The teen's heart instantly stopped as his emerald eyes met with blue ones. Those blue, tranquil, loving eyes that had stabbed him in the back so many years ago and the name flooded back into him like a cascading water fall. Sora. Sora. He repeated it to himself as he scrambled to his feet with sudden shock and hope. Why was his childhood crush here? Here of all places! Wherever here was…

"What are you doing here?" Riku asked emptily, voice trembling. He felt that familiar nervous feeling he got when he looked the other in the eye. He had not seen him for what, five years? Or was it more? And he had not changed much at all. Those familiar locks of brown covered the male's eyes, and he wore black cargo pants and similar clothing that he used to. The only difference was that he had gone from that childish cute to… down right sexy.

The other did not answer, just advanced closer to Riku. The boy's hand reached outward, trailing down Riku's firmly built body, taunting the one he touched. Riku winced from the contact, hands gripping the car door behind him so he would not lose his balance from the pleasure. Green eyes met the taunting blue ones eyes briefly as Riku dared to move his hand. He wanted to touch the face that had caused him so much pain, wanted to run his fingers over the lips he had always wanted to kiss. He wanted to fall back in love and-

When he did reach out to touch the other, his hand slipped right through. Emerald eyes filled with confusion as he stood there. The boy spoke in a haunting voice. "I thought I'd never see you again, Riku."

His name being spoken by the one who had made his life the way it was, was absolutely chilling. Riku knew exactly what this was the moment his hand had slipped through. Anger spilled through Riku's veins as clenched his fists, hope being destroyed.

"A mirage. A damn mirage…"Riku hissed, looking down at his feet. How easily he was fooled.

"Mirage?" The mirage of the one he thought he had loved spoke, hand reaching out to run across Riku's face. And Riku could have sworn he felt those gentle and electrifying fingers trail down his jaw line. As if he was really there.

"That's great and all, but you're damn a mirage so if you don't mind, can you just do what ever you mirages do.. and disappear.." Riku seethed, angered that he was thinking this up. He wanted to forget, and it seemed that his conscious wasn't letting him.

Silence came between the pair as Riku growled and slammed his foot into the ground. "Disappear. Now!" Riku stared ahead at the blue eyes that simply looked back at him. Why oh why was he haunted by this boy?

"Sir?"

Riku tilted his head to the side upon hearing a voice. Green eyes fell off of Sora to look to a woman. She was standing by his car in a pink dress. Brown hair fell in front of her face, falling down to her chest. Calm and somewhat chilling eyes looked at him innocently as she stood there. Her voice seemed empty, but she seemed much more alive then the mirage. Riku quickly turned back to the Sora, only to see that he was gone. So he was a mirage after all, right?

"Did you see that boy, just now?" Riku demanded, hands flexing by his side. Desperation was apparent in his voice as he stared at the woman.

"There was nothing there, sir." She stated bluntly then glanced at his car. "You car has broken down?" The way she spoke made Riku angrier by the moment. Riku gave a restless nod, letting his arms fold to his chest in the meantime. Man was it hot out here.

"The town's about a mile from here in that direction." The woman pointed to her right, off the road and to what looked like nothing. "Come with me. There's food and water there. I'm sure we can help you, sir." Without waiting for an answer she began to walk off, expecting the other to follow.

Riku stared blankly at her, and then to his cell phone. He had not remembered a town on his map… Riku shrugged, snatching the phone from the ground and then quickly following after the woman, who's name he learned to be Aerith. Was he really losing his mind? And why was everything so… off lately?


	2. The Riso House

_Sorry this took so long, I've been having a bad writers block lately. So sorry, again! Love Thy Brother should be updated sometime this week, depends on when I get that chapter finished. It's rough having two stories going at a time. Haha. Anyway, thanks for reading. And the next chapters will be longer. Ayup. Good luck figuring out the plot and twists ;D_

_**Warnings**:_ Language, Suggetive Themes, Horror, Yaoi, Brief Grammar Errors (will edit those later)  
**_Pairings_:** Riku x Sora

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_**Cabalistic**  
_**Chapter One**: The Riso House

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"The town's right ahead, sir."

Riku felt his brows furrow. When they got to the town, he was going to take a long shower, and then find a phone to call for assistance. That was the plan, and he was going to stick with it at all costs. Anything else would just be stupid. Emerald eyes focused dully on the town appearing in the distance. The shapes of the buildings glimmered against the harsh sunlight. It seemed like the town was almost stuck in time. Like one of those episodes of the mid-west. Regardless of the town's not so pleasing appearance, Riku smiled to himself. What ever the town may look like, there was help. And that's all that mattered.

"Good. I'll be glad to get down to Texas and get this job done with," Riku declared in response. The silver-haired teen spared another glance over to the desert they had come from. What luck it was to actually find a town. To find a person, even!

"Right this way, sir." Aerith addressed, leading the business man into the town. Old, but still in tack, homes lined the sandy desert streets.

It was a small town, very small indeed. Riku guessed it to have one main road with a few smaller side streets, and around twelve homes at the most. Maybe more, maybe less, he did not really know, nor did he take the time to figure it out. It was not like he was going to spend his entire life here, so why bother with the details? Why should he care about a town that would soon only be an insignificant remnant of his memory?

"Where are we going, exactly?" Riku wondered, hands folded to their chest as they continued walking. Green eyes were locked on the road ahead, trying to figure out an excuse on why he was going to be late for that interview. The excuse of one's car breaking down has been far-overused.

"To the sheriff, sir." Aerith announced, nodding her head as she lead the business man. Her brown hair seemed incredibly . . . light and almost silk-like in the midday sun. It was odd, and yet beautiful, though Riku would not think to say that. His interests were solely upon one gender, and one gender alone. And besides, he was not looking for a relationship. Not at all.

"Sheriff?" Riku repeated, sounding a bit unenthusiastic.

"Yes, sir," Aerith replied diligently. Her voice seemed as emotionless as before, and the tone of her voice remained unwavering. It somewhat chilled Riku to the core. Just somewhat.

"They still have those nowadays?" The silver-haired teen raised an inquisitive eyebrow at the response. Green eyes looked emptily ahead at the house in the distance, about a quarter of a mile from the town.

"Yes." Aerith replied simply, not bothering to turn around.

"That house . . . does anyone live in it?" Riku inquired dully, tilting his head to the side.

"It belongs to the sheriff, but he hasn't lived there for a few years. Everyone is trying to bring it back to life and rent it out to some new people, sir." Aerith explained as she turned to the right, leading the silver-haired into a room.

". . . interesting." Riku noted with a disdainful sigh. This town was so _boring_. Was there _anyone_ here worth speaking to? Green eyes turned back to Aerith and the building they were entering.

The two passed through a heavy wooden door as they entered. The male's hands were tightly folded to his chest as they walked. Lined snuggly against a strip of counter were wooden stools. Against the walls were a few tables, half table and half booth.

"Who might you be?"

Riku turned his wandering gaze over to the man behind the counter. Spiky blonde hair stuck out in all directions, making it look incredibly untidy. And it reminded Riku of that boy... Riku winced mentally from the uncanny resemblance. He was thinking too much lately, and he supposed he should blame that on unsettled difficulties in his past. Regardless, green eyes flickered to the blue-eyed man who Aerith was approaching. The pink-dressed woman took a seat, ever so slowly.

Remembering that he had been asked a question, Riku cleared his throat before answering. "Riku, a reporter and writer for Ganz . . . " Riku trailed off, watching the blonde-haired man clean an empty beer glass with a deteriorating white wag that had been stained an off tint of yellow from use.

"You were saying," The blonde man spoke, lifting his icy blue gaze over to Riku who was standing immobile at the entrance to the building. A cold breeze swept around him, making the heat from earlier seem like a memory. Emerald eyes stared vaguely at the pair of residents, taking in their peculiar ness. Were all country people like this? No wonder he liked the city.

"Right." Riku cleared his throat, once more, "I was wondering if someone here could help me with my car. It ran out of gas about a mile from here on a back road, and I really have to make an interview down in Texas, so it would be greatly appreciated if you could lend a land." Like all business men, Riku had learned the way things worked. Politeness and being straight-forward always earned you points.

"Can't help you." Answered the blonde man, setting the glass down on a shelf behind him.

Riku winced at the blunt answer, hands involuntarily flexing at his side. "Do you know anyone in this town that can? Is there another town close by that might be able to help me?" The idea of having to be stuck here was getting to the silver-haired teen. He wanted to be back the city, basking in his youth, not out here in the middle of god damn nowhere. To put it delicately, of course.

"The sheriff might be able to. Was here a few minutes ago." The blonde man answered.

That was right, Aerith had said they were going to meet the sheriff. Wait. "So you're not the sheriff?" Riku felt immature and almost unintelligent just saying that word. It felt like he had been chucked back in time, and was being forced to live through a western movie. A really bad western movie.

"Hell no." A small, and almost friendly laugh came from the blonde man, making Riku relax slightly. "Just the bartender and local blacksmith. Name's Cloud." The man extended a hand across the counter towards Riku, voice somewhat filled with a gentle kindness. However, the man's blue eyes told a different stories. They seemed dull, and emotionless, and it made Riku feel a bit sick.

Riku disdainfully extended his hand to the shake the others. That same hand that had been cleaning that mug with that wretched rag. Oh, he felt worse now. "Pleasure, I'm sure." A forced polite smile from Riku. "So," a quick change of subject, back to the priority, "you're saying I should find the sheriff and ask him if he can help?" Riku cocked his head to the side to make sure he was getting all of this.

"That would be correct." Cloud replied coolly, taking another bottle from the shelf and beginning to vigorously dust it. Aerith remained silent, like a doll, at the counter. Either she was Cloud's sister, or fiancé. Riku was betting on the sister part, because who would want someone as ...unenthusiastic as her for their wife. Then again, this Cloud man wasn't that 'cheery' either.

"Any idea where I can find him?" Riku further inquired, begging for the conversation to pick its pace up so he could get out.

"Up at the Old Riso House." Cloud nudged his head north to where Riku had saw the 'fixer upper' house. "He spends a lot of his time there. Trying to fix it." Cloud explained, blowing on the glass to get a bit of dust off the rim.

"Yeah, Aerith told me." Riku replied blandly, trying to make his way to the door ever so slowly. "Either way, I thank you for your time." Emerald eyes watched the odd pair. "Both of you." With that, and a slight bow of his head (just to be kind; who knew what these country folk considered polite, anyhow), he left the way he came.

"No problem." Cloud called to him, setting the glass down on the counter with a slight clinking noise.

The hot weather greeted Riku face on. It wasn't bothering him as much as it had earlier, and he was thankful for that. Perhaps he was actually getting used to it because he was getting somewhere. Regardless, the teen made his way up the street, heading to the corner where he had saw the old house earlier. Shoes made soft imprints on the sandy desert ground, making Riku's lips fall into a small sigh. Sand . . . it wasn't as nice and soft as island sand.

"That time's over now." Riku grumbled at himself, feet purposely kicking at the sand. "Over and done with, and quite frankly I'm glad." He seethed, more so at himself. Green eyes, however, filled with a contradictory look. A look of grief; human emotion.

A slight sigh once more came from Riku.

"Hell. Who am I kidding?" Riku groaned into the hot and sticky air. "Telling myself that just by thinking its over can make my forget...well, you know what? I'm going to forget, god damnit. And I will forget." Riku declared to no one in particular.

"Really?" Came a rather unexpected answer.

"Yes, really." Riku grumbled in response, not taking time to think.

"Can you really forget, Riku?"

Riku's blood at once turned to ice. Green eyes nervously cast over his shoulder to his right, only to be greeted with distant blue ones. Again. The brunette was leaning against the building beside Riku, looking preoccupied with his fingernails. It was obvious of the snobbish and unsettling atmosphere he carried with him. And yet, it made it all the more painful and exciting to the other.

"What the hell do you want?" Riku found himself asking, emerald eyes fixing on the brunette. "Is there a reason why you mirages keep coming to bother me? Making me think I'm going insane?" Riku's lips curled into a tight smile. "Sorry to tell you, but I'm far from crazy."

"What do I ... want?" The pause was added for drama, and Riku could tell. Those innocent yet so seductive eyes cast their way over at Riku, making his heart plummet at once. Within seconds, the brunette was beside him, cocking his head to the side rather mischievously. "You ask me what I want. Ha, shouldn't that be obvious, Riku?"

"Damn ... mirage, go away." Riku continued in a grumble, watching Sora let his skinny arm reach upward to trail down Riku's jaw. And it felt so real, that it chilled him to the core. "Just... go."

"I know you don't want me to." A nonchalant smirk as Sora let both of his arms reach upward to encircle Riku's neck. The teen's heart plummeted further from the contact, his body pulsing with a dull and numbing feeling. "I know you want me to stay, Riku." Those once so sweet lips reached up, nipping at Riku's jaw.

"..." Riku did not say anything, just tried to look away. Those lips, how could they be fake? "You stole my fucking heart, and I won't forgive you. Not now, not ever, even if you are a mirage," Riku stumbled weakly. The statement would have sounded a lot more convincing if he hadn't been leaning forward the whole time, locking his lips with Sora's.

And it felt so real. It had to be real, right? Or was he just imagining this . . .

A soft chuckle came from the brunette as he returned the kiss, letting his tongue flick quickly against Riku's lips before he broke off. Hands tauntingly fell onto the taller teen's chest, resting there briefly. "I'm surprised you gave in so easily, Riku. Surprised that you still want me after all these years."

And it was true.

"Oh god..." Riku had wanted that kiss his whole life ... and somehow he knew it was not right, and something was off. "You're not Sora..." Riku stated weakly. "You're just a figment of my imagination. Just go away..." He whispered, closing his eyes. "You're not real..."

When Riku did open his eyes, the mirage had dissipated, only leaving Riku to witness the last bit of the disintegration, if that's what mirages truly did. "But I wish you were." Riku whispered half in despair and half in anger.

"And you are?"

Riku was caught off guard, for what seemed like the hundredth time that day. Distressed and melancholy green eyes turned to his left, just in time to watch a tall male figure walking up to him. Brown hair fell to his shoulder as cool and calm eyes watched him. The man wore a sleeveless jacket with a thin fur trim, accompanying faded blue jeans.

"Riku," The other answered in a slight grumble, catching his composure. Why did he keep imagining these mirages? There was no purpose. The past was over, and he would never get a second chance. He had to get that through his thick head, sooner or later.

"What can I do for you, then?" The man questioned, folding his arms to his chest as he gave an inquisitive look to the teen.

"My car broke down about a mile from here, ran out of gas actually, and I was wondering if someone in this town could help. Cloud told me I should head up to that old house over there and look for the sheriff." This explanation thing was getting really old, really fast. How many people did he need to tell this before he actually got help?

"Well, you've run into the right guy," A small smirk as the brunette extended his hand, "Leon heart at your service," A rather triumphant look flashed in the male's eyes, "As for your car issue . . . " The brunette paused, glancing up at the sky as if it held his answer. "I'm afraid I can't help you right away. You see," Riku sighed miserably as he disdainfully listened, "we're a bit low on gas, seeing none of us really travel that much. I'm sure we can fix it up for you in two days, tops."

"What about another town? Is there one around here that would have gas?" Riku asked hopefully, trying to hide his frustration. He could really go for that drink about now.

"Nearest town is fifty miles." A shrug came from Leon, "Unless you plan on walking that far, I guess you'll just have to cope with the wait." Another shrug, "It's rare we get visitors, so I'm sure you'll be welcomed with open arms." Leon passed past Riku, patting him on the shoulder as if he was some young child. "I was just heading up to the Riso House. Care to come along? Better than standing around in the heat."

Riku sighed, nodding. If he was going to be spending two days with these hayseeds, he better find something to do. "If you have a phone at the house, I can make a call and have a tow truck down here in less than an hour." Riku suggested hopefully.

"We have phones, just no service. Haven't for about a month now." Leon explained, walking towards the house in the distance with Riku right behind him.

"You've got to be kidding me." Riku seethed to himself, "How can you live without communication?" Riku asked disdainfully. He blinked a few times before throwing out another suggestion. "How about a car? May I borrow one of those and ride it to the next town, ask for assistance, then bring it back?" Hopeful look.

"Won't do you any good." Leon answered honestly. "Like I said, we're not getting gas for two days. That's when the truck comes and supplies us with it. You know how people are nowadays, greedy till death." A glare from Leon as he kicked the sand with his heel. "Without it we're dead."

"...So there's no other way besides waiting?" Was this a nightmare? Was it?

"Yeah." Came the simple answer from the brunette ahead of him, increasing his spead as they left the main part of the city and walked the small stretch to the worn-down house.

"If you don't mind me asking..." Riku withdrew his phone from his pocket, giving it a flip open only to glare at the nonexistent bars. Damnit. "Where the hell am I?"

"Traverse Town." Answered Leon, sending a kind and welcoming look to Riku.

"..." Riku remained silent. For some reason that name sent shivers down his spine. He wouldn't say anything about it, though, just put on a fake smile and nod back at his semi-helpful sheriff. If there was no way out of here besides walking, he needed all the help and sheltering he could get. Damn car.

The pair continued their walk to the old house in silence. Riku was far too lost in his thoughts to actually start and hold a conversation. Emerald eyes shimmered with despair and anger as they walked on. All he wanted was to get down to Texas, make the stupid interview, get some cash, and then head back home, but apparently fate wasn't content with that plan. Fate wanted to further screw with his mind, and chucked him in one of the most uncivilized places in the whole country.

Leon stopped at the door to the house, waiting for Riku to catch up. Once the silver-haired male had, Leon gave a slight nod to him before entering.

Cobwebs and dust was all the teen saw when he entered. Bookshelves were covered with years, or perhaps centuries of dust. In every corner was a carefully constructed cob-web, equaling the size of a chair. Around each chandelier was a mass of webs, looking like the lamps had been snagged out of a movie-set. The business man's nose twitched from the sight as he cautiously held the doorframe, allowing light to enter the musky building. The only good thing about the house was that the floors, walls, and ceiling were still in perfect condition.

"Haven't had a chance to clean lately." Leon declared to Riku, making his way through the dusty maze towards what appeared to be a grand kitchen.

Lately?... Riku found himself wondering vaguely. Things that looked like bad took years to form. Regardless, the teen cautiously followed Leon through the house, stepping slowly into the kitchen.

"The house was built a long time ago." Leon informed, grabbing a feather duster from beside the kitchen's counter. "Around four hundred years, actually." Leon added on, quickly flicking his wrist as he destroyed a mass of webs crowding around the sink.

"No wonder it looks so old," Riku murmured to himself, hugging his arms tightly to his body.

"The architecture is just magnificent though." Leon grumbled with a relentless sigh, giving a smack to another cluster of cobwebs. "If the house was fixed up and rented, the profit coming into the town would surely pay for a few much needed upgrades." Leon continued.

Like a phone? Riku bit his tongue, not wanting to offend the other by asking a rude and snippy question. Sarcasm was not needed here, and had to be contained. "Has anyone showed interest?" Yes, business talk, that was something they shared in common.

"Like I said, you're the first visitor for quite a while." Leon answered, swishing the duster back and forth on the counters. It seemed like no matter how many times he had a go at that single counter, the dust remained along with the sticky webs. It was quite disguisting, and Riku wanted out and to be in the comfort of his own luxury home.

"Oh." Riku stated simply, leaning his back against the kitchen's doorframe after having made sure it was neither dusty or doused in webs.

"Going back to your situation with your car," The sheriff rambled off, opening a dusty window and shaking the duster out of it to remove the dust. "do you happen to have any money with you to pay for the gas when it does come?"

"..." Riku paused, reaching into his pants pocket to remove his wallet. "Yeah, fifty dollars. Doubt it'll cost that much, but its good to carry extra." A simple business sigh as he buried the wallet back inside.

"Good." Leon nodded as he exited the kitchen the way he came with Riku trailing close behind.

"Do you know where I'll be staying for the next few nights?" Riku wondered, feeling a bit of fatigue come upon him. The mixture of heat and chaos that had gone on today was literally killing him, and he needed some rest. Some well-deserved rest.

"Of course." Leon paused at the entrance of the house, sending the silver-haired teen a rather unreadable smirk. "Here." And with that he closed the door behind him, leaving Riku inside.

"What?!" Riku snarled, hands balling into fists. He'd rather sleep in his car then this excuse of a house! Balled fists reached for the door-knob, giving it a quick twist open. When it did open, and he peered out, he saw no sign of Leon. He sure did walk fast...or had gone another way. Snarling to himself, Riku slammed the door shut, crossing his arms to his chest.

"Fucking country hicks." He seethed, stomping through the house like an infant. "I'll show them. Them and their 'we don't have phones' 'we don't have gas' 'poor little us'." Riku rambled on and on, storming through the house with all intent on figuring out how to fix this problem.

After having wandered, and stormed, aimlessly throughout the house for an hour, Riku collapsed onto the dusty bed in one of the many rooms. The teen's head collided with the dust-covered pillow, making the particles fly in the air from the pressure. Riku grunted darkly as he stared up at the ceiling, eying a spider with vengeance.

"This is just not my day."

And with that he regretfully fell asleep.

Who knew that this would be the best day he would have for quite some time.


	3. The Riso House II

_Sorry this took so long. Seriously, a really long time. Finals are coming and oh god, my parents are being evil when it comes to studying and such. And i've had a horrible writers block, even though I do know the whole plot to this. I suppose I can understand how Riku feels in this, in both ways. My boyfriend broke up with me, so I know the rejection, and i know how it feels to be falling in love with your best friend ... he just doesn't know I care about him. Oh well, I hope you enjoy this story. This chapter is probably one of the more lighter ones for awhile. Be warned._

_Beware of grammar!_

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_Cabalistic_

**Chapter Two**: The Riso House II

* * *

Riku arose to a rather rude awakening on the first day of being stranded in what he had now dubbed hell. The rude awakening had been caused by a rather audacious spider. The creature, if you desired to call it that, glided across the male's ivory skin, its hairy and irritating legs scratching the skin as it went. For something so bantam, it sure as hell made a huge nuisance. Riku stirred in his sleep grumpily, his ireful attitude from the night before still present. Emerald eyes slowly cracked open, only to take in the sight of that foul creature inching across his face.

"Spider!" He hissed with an intense anger. Brawny arms rose from Riku's side, swatting at his face to get the black thing off. A finger made contact with the spider, sending it flying off the bed, landing on the floor with a silent 'thud'. Green iris narrowed at the sight, a displeased scowl forming on the business man's face. He hated this place already. He should not be forced to live in such conditions!

"This is insane!" Riku seethed, flexing his hands irritably against the old bed sheets beneath him. "There has to be another place I can stay than this run-down house. Hell, I'll even pay them. Anything is better than this excuse of a house." Riku grumbled, raising a hand to rub his temples furiously. "Why did I have to run out of gas. Why, why, why."

Typical behavior when one was faced with a displeasing situation. They began to poke and prod at their prior actions, discovering the reasons for why they were stuck in such a predicament. And now Riku regretted not paying attention to the gas level, and for not switching his cell phone plan to something more reliable. Did he really make this many mistakes?

Instead of sitting there and wallowing in his self-pity, Riku arose from his uncomfortable placement on the bed. Shoes made contact with the dusty floor as he exited the bedroom, trying to remember his way down to the kitchen. If he was being subjected to living here two more nights, he was going to at least get some of that dust out of the room he slept in. As Riku continued down the hall, his hand reached outward, letting a single digit press softly against the wall on his side, collecting dust as he went.

Pausing at the top of the stairs, on the third or fourth level was it?, Riku spared a glance around. Was there even a bathroom in this place? A working shower, perhaps. Riku at once cast that idea aside. If the house hadn't been cleaned for quite some time, he didn't even want to imagine the condition of the bathrooms. Cringing from the thought, Riku continued his descend down the flight of stairs, racking his brain for possible solutions to this unsolvable problem.

If only life were more like math. "Once I get out of this town and back into civilization, I'm going to write a book." The idea seemed far-fetched. "A book about how barbaric country people are nowadays, and why phones were invented." A snarl came from Riku as he spoke, "And then I'm going to sell it, become filthy rich, perhaps buy a larger house, and then never leave it." A look of content spread across Riku's face. "And then I'll hire someone to bull-doze the town. Ah yes . . ."

Once at the bottom of the stairs, Riku paused. Green eyes gazed around the bottom level suspiciously, wondering if Leon or anyone else from 'Hicktown USA' had dared to come into the house without announcing themselves. Figuring that anyone with half a mind that would come into the house would turn back instantly after seeing its condition, Riku strolled triumphantly into the kitchen.

"Now where the hell is that feather duster." Riku grumbled darkly, maneuvering himself to the somewhat clean part of the kitchen. Green irises scanned the area thoroughly, searching for the duster. After having spent four minutes searching by looking, the silver-haired teen resorted to that actual kind of looking.

"This is peasant work," He seethed, bending over a bit and beginning to sort through a few cabinets, having mobs of cobwebs inside. He was quite surprised to not have found a bat, or even a rat inside. It would not surprise him in the least, to be honest.

Giving up after having sorted through several cabinets, Riku leaned his back against the counter with a relentless sigh. "I hate this place," He announced to himself, raising a hand to rub the sweat from his forehead away. Eyes closed briefly, trying to relax, but he soon found himself opening them once more. Who was he kidding? He couldn't sleep another night, or moment, in this house when all these cobwebs and whatnots were about! It was inhumane!

Growling as a sign of protest, Riku stomped through the house, making his way to the door. Flinging the front door open vengefully, the businessman exited with a proud smirk on his face. "I'll show them, 'we don't have any gas, you have to stay in a rundown house', damned morons." And why was he talking to himself again?

As he marhced on, leaving heavy footprints in the sand, his anger continued to grow. Why couldn't there be a rational and simple answer to his problem? What were the odds that there wasn't any means of help? It was such a ludicrous idea, that he found it hard to believe. Things like this never happened. Especially to him.

"..." Riku paused upon entering the town. But what if there was a reason he was here? Sure, he sounded insane, and perhaps he was going insane (he didn't doubt it, spiders could do that to you), but just maybe he was supposed to be here. Perhaps he was supposed to save someone? Be an epic hero? Find a damsel, scratch that, prince in distress? Or maybe he would save a celebrity or political figure from certain doom that was stuck here! Oh great . . . he was going insane. Just not the isnane that landed you in the asylum, the other kind. The normal and less dangerous kind.

"But why?" Riku huffed loudly, arms folding to his chest in aggravation. Why did he have to end up here? Why couldn't he be stranded at some place in the Bahamas, or in a fancy hotel, or perhaps in Rome?! But no. "There has to be a reason." Riku figured with himself, eyes scanning the buildings cautiously. "If some almighty power wants me to help fix this town up with my cash, they better forget it." Riku declared strongly, as ego-centric and conceited as ever.

He had no idea that the reason was right in front of him. Or more literally, buried deep inside his mind. Just sitting there helplessly, unable to emerge.

"Did you sleep well?"

Riku was jerked from his 'fate' and 'Murphy's law' thoughts by a voice. Green eyes flickered to the approaching brunette, wearing that same stupid hat as the day before. Right, he had a bone to pick with this guy! Riku's lips contorted into a dark scowl as his eyebrows seemingly knitted together in frustration.

"Was that sarcastic?" Riku seethed vaguely, heat beginning to get to him once more. Damn desert. Why did it have to be so hot?

"Not necessarily..." Leon responded with a slight shrug before continuing his walk up to the other. "Regardless," He reached into his pocket, "Cloud wanted me to give this to you." Leon's right hand emerged from his pocket with a folded over note. Green eyes of Riku curiously ran across the crumbled paper, taking it from the sheriff.

"Uh-huh... and what is it exactly?" Riku inquired, holding the paper up into the air.

"Don't know. He didn't tell me." Leon responded bluntly, arms folding to his chest as his hat blocked the sun from hitting Riku's eyes.

"You didn't read it?" Riku was more surprised then angered. Most people nowadays read notes they were told to pass on.

"We do have morals here." Leon responded darkly, rather offended by Riku's question. A moment of silence passed as Riku averted his gaze to the right. Perhaps he should just keep his sarcasm and remarks to himself. Just until he got out of this stupid town and back home. Then he could rant all he wanted.

"Well then . . . thank you." Riku forced out, letting his fingers rub the smooth paper of the note as he looked to the brunette.

"You're welcome." Leon nodded and spared a glance beyond Riku. "That house, the one you're staying at," As Leon spoke Riku turned around to stare at it, "really does have quite a history. I'm sure if you spend some time straightening it up and looking through a few of the boxes in the rooms, you'd be pleasantly surprised." A kind-hearted smile. "History is all around us." Words of wisdom.

"What kind of history?" Riku further pried, eyes scanning the house in the distance, remembering the rooms he had passed on his tantrum the night before, and even this morning.

"Saying that would take the fun out of the search, now wouldn't it?" Leon gave him a toothy grin as he began to leave Riku's side, headed down the side street. "Come by later for a drink, on me." The sheriff nodded Riku off and made his way down to the bar where Aerith had led Riku the other day.

"...What a pathetic attempt to make me clean," Riku grumbled, rolling his eyes at the man. Regardless, the teen flipped open the note carefully, eager to read its contents, to which he read aloud.

"Thought I'd tell you someone's looking for you."

"What the hell?" Riku asked vaguely to the note, reading it a few more times. "Looking for me?" He paused and then excitement filled him. "Namine found out where I was?!" A large grin as he attempted a pathetic victory dance.

"Ha! In your face you damned town!" He declared with a cheesy grin. "When I get back home I'm going to thank that secretary a thousand times over." He paused and spared a glance down at the note. "He could have told me where she was . . ." Another pause. "She had to have been in town, seeing there's no phones . . ." Another pause. "Then where is she?"

His only hope would be back at the Riso House, where he was headed.

- - - - - - - -

Riku shoved the now crumbled note into his pocket before entering the house. Both ideas of finding Namine and sorting through the house's 'interesting history', were fresh in his mind. However, the latter of the two was the least important. Right now he figured that if he found Namine in the house, which really was more like a mansion, he could get home. She must have had a car to get here, and that meant she could give him a lift.

A smirk filtered onto his lips as he glanced about the entryway to the house. Everything appeared the same. The cobwebs were the same, the spiders still gave him that menacing look, and the dust was still clinging to anything it could find. Smacking his bottom lip together, Riku sighed before speaking, "Hey Namine, you in here?"

Riku hoped his voice would carry throughout the first and perhaps second levels. Riku waited a few moments before sighing. Perhaps she was on the third or the fourth? Shrugging to himself, Riku shut the front door and made his way towards the kitchen and then the stairs.

It seemed like moments ago that he had been walking down these very stairs. And now he was walking up them once more. Grunting at the irony, Riku continued his hurried pace up them, all the while calling "Namine? Hey, Namine?"

Passing at the third level, and taking a deep breath, Riku glanced around the fourth and final level, where he assumed Namine was. Maybe she had found his dubbed 'bedroom'. Riku walked down the hall silently at first, peering around innocently. Now where was she? Checking every room except his own, a sigh at once left Riku's lips. Frustrated, he turned his back to go back downstairs, only to peer over his shoulder once more. What were the chances that she would in his bedroom? And had he not made sure it was closed and locked?

Questions running through Riku's mind, the male turned back around. Shoes made silent thumps against the floorboards as he made his way down the hall to the bedroom. Eyebrows rose curiously as he reached out for the doorknob. Giving it a quick twist, he slowly pushed the door open.

Perhaps he should have left the door closed. Curiosity had killed the cat, after all.

"Sora? . . ."

But satisfaction brought the beast back!

Confused emerald eyes were at once met with innocent blue ones. Riku's hand at once slipped from the doorknob, nerves rushing into his body. It took Riku several moments to remember that it was only a mirage. An angry glare appeared on his face as he walked into the room, closing the door behind him with a frustrated slam.

The brunette stood there, fear residing in his blue eyes. He appeared just like before, but looked a bit cleaner and . . . less vicious. Still, Riku took no note to this, staring darkly at him. "What do you want now? Come to laugh at my pathetic attempts to get out of here? Or are you here to mess with my mind more?"

Sora said nothing, just stared at Riku nervously, hands holding a opened box cautiously.

"Are you going to answer me? Or are you too tired of screwing with me that you've decided to not say anything at all?" Riku wondered in a grumble, passing past the brunette to the closet. Since Naminé was not here, he was going to do some research. Pass the time until the gas came, at least.

"...Who are you?" Sora finally questioned, hands holding the box slightly flexing as he set it down on the bed.

Riku rose his head from the closet to glance over his shoulder at the other with a mocking look forming on his face. Riku arose from his spot in the closet to pass back over to the brunette. "Who am i? Is that your new approach?" Riku answered in a mutter, emerald eyes staring defensively at the brunette. "I'm the one you're trying to make insane, remember?" Riku seethed.

"What? . . ." Sora answered, hand remaining on the resting box.

"Oh come off it." Riku snorted angrily. "I don't care anymore. You can just go disappear. Die somewhere. I'm tired of you messing with my head. See. I don't believe in you anymore you damn mirage. Its not like you're helping me, you're only making things worse." Riku closed his eyes as he spoke. "Besides . . . you've already tricked me once..."

"What the hell are you talking about? A-and I meant your name." Sora stammered uncomfortably, hand protectively holding onto the side of the box.

"What?" Riku opened his eyes, watching Sora cautiously. "You're supposed to disappear when I do that. Code of mirages." He closed his eyes again, and opened them, only for Sora to remain standing there. "I said go!"

"Whoever you are, I think you should get some help if you think real people are mirages . . ." Sora advised weakly, picking up a few letters from the box as he sent Riku a befuddled glance.

"Help?" Riku sneered. "I don't need any help proving you're not real." Fully confident, Riku reached out and snagged Sora by his arm, drawing the brunettes attention to him. Eyes met briefly before Riku pressed his lips forcefully onto Sora's, arms sliding around the teen's waist. If there was a way to prove this was all in his head, this was it.

And for some reason. . . .

Sora stood there, completely dumbfounded. Here he was, being kissed by a complete stranger, a lunatic might he had. The brunette was too shocked to do anything but stand there as those cold and insane lips slid against his, making him feel dizzy and rather intoxicated.

Riku took Sora's lips within his own once more, wishing that this was real. Was he really this desperate that he had to imagine this? It took Riku a few moments to break the kiss when he needed air. When he did, he felt his hands on Sora's waist. His waist . . . And his lips felt soft and real and . . .

". . ." Riku said nothing, staring nervously at the other. If he wasn't a mirage, then what the-

"R-r-riku?" Sora stammered nervously, falling out of Riku's grasp to fall backwards onto the bed, that shy boy clumsiness filtering into the brunette. Mirages weren't real, and therefore did not have real attributes, real faults. And Sora...

"Sora . . ." Riku whispered painfully into the air, shutting his eyes. Why in the name of god was Sora here?! Here?! The boy that taunted his dreams?! The boy his mirages were mocking?! Why here?! In this house, in this town, in his room?! Was he dreaming? Was he truly going insane?! What the hell?!

"W-w-hat are you doing here?" Sora stammered once more, clinging to the box as he looked at the silver-haired male.

"Oh god." Was all Riku said, holding his head painfully. This Sora was real? Or was this all in his head? No, it couldn't be. That kiss. That kiss proved this was _real_. And he had just kissed the real Sora and oh god. The question finally registered into Riku's head as he slowly reopened his eyes to glance sheepishly at the dumbfounded brunette.

"Long time no see . . ." Riku whispered uncertainly into the air, staring apprehensively at the boy from his past. What were the odds? This seemed too good, too convenient to be true. There had to be a catch.

"Yeah . . . like five or six years." Sora replied, rubbing the back of his neck from embarrassment.

"Yeah . . ." Riku murmured, head beginning to hurt. Cloud had said that someone was looking for him, and apparently Sora didn't know he was here so . . . unless Sora had wanted to come here for a different reason, and Cloud had figured it was because of Riku? That may be it . . .then again, it might not be. "...my car ran out of gas about a mile away a day ago." Riku explained, numb to the core.

"Oh?" Sora asked, eyebrows shyly arching.

"And you? . . ." The questions were neutral, and it obvious the discomfort and uncertainty in the room.

"On a research project. I got an email from an university saying that a place called the Riso House was up for observation and such. I'm making a report about the past of the mid-west for college, so it was a perfect opportunity . . " Sora stumbled along.

"Oh." More silence.

"Yeah." Sora replied, hand resting on a letter on the box, heart racing a thousand miles an hour as Riku stared at him.

"..." Riku looked away, words falling from his lips. "I still hate you." He murmured bitterly.

"..." Sora looked away as well, a sigh falling from his lips. Blue eyes stared at the wall as he nodded slowly. "I can understand that ..."

"Good." Riku grumbled, "And because I still hate you, I want you to leave. You can take the box with you." Riku informed, not being able to deal with this. He just couldn't. He figured things would be different if he saw Sora again, but they weren't. Right now they were back in the days of friendship and betrayal.

"..." Sora sighed once more, "I can't."

"Can't?" Riku answered darkly.

"I don't have any way to get back until Wednesday . . . I hitch-hiked a ride here, and the guy said he'd be back on Wednesday to pick me up." Sora mumbled, blue eyes filling with self-pity.

"You hitch-hiked here? Do you realize how fucking dan-" Riku paused. He was sounding like he actually cared. The teen bit his lip as he nodded at once to Sora. "I see..."

"I can stay in a room downstairs." Sora suggested, not meeting Riku's eyes. "I won't bother you."

"...Right." Riku nodded as Sora snagged the box and left the room, not saying another word. And for some reason, it felt like he was hiding something. Riku watched as the brunette left, closing the door softly behind him. Once done, Riku collapsed onto the bed.

"What is going on . . . " He murmured nervously, raising his hand to rub his head roughly. Why did Sora, of all people, had to be here? Not bothering to figure out anything else, Riku rolled over on his side to take a short nap. At least the cobwebs and dust seemed to be down to minimum in the room. Perhaps he could handle the rest of today and tomorrow. Just maybe . .. as long as Sora didn't get in his way.

Who was he kidding? . . .

- - - - - - - -

Riku awoke around sundown that same day. Emerald eyes cracked open groggily. He had awoken mostly due to the grumbling of his stomach. That was right, he hadn't eaten anything today. Sighing, Riku pushed his body off of the bed and made his way out of the room. Riku rose his hand to his head to rub his head as he walked, still half asleep. It seemed all but natural now to make his way down the flights of stairs. Down and down until the bottom floor. This wasn't that bad once you got used to it. It was . . . tolerable.

And he had had this insane dream that- Riku's eyes fell upon Sora walking around the main floor with a feather duster in hand, busily sweeping at the corners and furniture of the house. So it wasn't a dream after all. A discontent sigh came through Riku's lips as he looked to Sora weakly, watching the brunette work quickly. If he hadn't stabbed him in the back, he could easily jump back into friendship with the boy. And with that nice of an ass, he probably would have hit on him a lot more than he usually did with people.

But he wouldn't. Sora had betrayed him, and that was that.

"Riku?"

Riku shook his head to snap himself out of his daydreams. Green eyes met with blue ones across the room for a brief second. Riku cleared his throat, letting his hands fold behind his head as he walked across the room, resisting the urge to walk over to the other and wrap his arms around him. Someone had it out for him. Who would be that cruel to place Sora, the only person he really actually cared for, in the same house as him and subject him to not speaking or touching the boy. It was horrible.

"Hm?" Riku inquired, halfway across the room by now, which was actually closer to Sora. Green eyes turned to his right to watch Sora staring at him, eyes filled with questions. "What is it?" Riku stated bluntly, stomach growling in the process.

"..." Sora didn't say anything but just shook his head. "its nothing." The brunette mumbled, looking downward.

"Right." Riku stared longingly at the boy and then quickly turned away. "I'm headed down for a drink courtesy of Leon. You can come . . . if you want." Riku offered, wondering if he was being too nice for his own good. If you hated someone you didn't offer them to come with you for a drink, right?

"Um.." Sora looked at the feather duster suspiciously before setting it down. "I guess..." Sora walked slowly over to Riku, refusing to look him in the eye anymore.

"All right then." Riku declared, uncertain just what was up with the other, and why Sora didn't hate him back. . . All he knew was that he was getting a drink, looking at some records later, then getting some sleep.

Of course, even the wisest of plans can be thwarted.

- - - - - - - -

"So, you found your friend all right?"

Cloud poured the liquid into the glass cup as he spoke elegantly, Aerith and a brunette on his side assisting him to fill the other customers glasses. The bar, if that was what you wanted to call it, was filled with residents, chattering happily to themselves over glasses of beer. Riku spared them a glance wearily, wondering if they were all as weird as the town itself. However, Riku's glance fell onto Sora beside him, giving the boy a distant stare. Sora, on the other hand, stared down at his hands, as if something was bothering him.

"Yeah." Riku mumbled in response to the question, taking the glass from Cloud and raising it to his lips. "Do you mind me asking if you have anything to eat? I'm starved..." Riku noted, taking a sip of the cold and frothy liquid before setting it down. Sora looked to Riku momentarily, as if to say something, but chose not to. Riku did not question this, only looked to Cloud hopefully.

"There's a diner a few houses down. It's run by Cid." Cloud pointed to his right, to show the two where the diner actually was. "The food's affordable and great." Cloud added on, a glimmer of amusement in his blue eyes as he spoke.

"Right . . ." Riku swigged the last bit of the glass the sheriff had paid for and then set it down on the desk with a clank. The teen swung his legs off the bar stool and arose to his feet. "I'd love to stay and chat, really would love to, my I haven't eaten anything in a whole day." Riku noted absent-mindly, speaking to the blonde behind the counter.

"Hmm . . . all right, until next time." Cloud noted, nodding Riku off as he went back to attending to some of the locals. Riku smirked to himself, figuring that it was quite easy to make friends in such a small town that barely got visitors. Green eyes peeled themselves off Cloud and repositioned themselves on the door. Riku had only walked three or four steps when he noticed Sora at his side.

He said nothing, just continued to walk, Sora following silently behind him, as if he felt compelled to follow the other no matter where he went.

Once outside in the cooling desert air, Riku paused. It was much cooler when the sun set, or was setting. It was not half bad, actually. Emerald eyes slipped off the gorgeous setting sun to peer back at Sora, cocking his head to the side. ". . . " He wanted to say something but could not find any words.

"Riku? . . ." Sora asked innocently, blue eyes raising off the ground to glance at the silver-haired teen. "Do you think that you'll ever-"

"No." Riku stated firmly into the air, watching Sora flinch. "I can't forgive that's stabbed me in the back." Riku grumbled darkly, trying his best not to crack under the sudden pressure. "You had no right to say-" Riku began but was also cut off.

"But I didn't do it!" Sora suddenly blurted out angrily, clenched fists falling down by his side.

"What?" Riku snapped, not believing it.

"I didn't tell anyone! Tidus found out when he came over, and decided to tell the whole school! I had no part! Damnit, Riku I-" Sora looked away, not wanting it to come out like this. "I'll see you back at the house." Sora grumbled, as distant as Riku. The brunette began to make his way back towards the house, blue eyes closed, threatening to pour tears.

". . . You didn't say anything?" Riku echoed, arching his eyebrow as he watched the boy walk away. "Sora!" Riku called desperately, heart stopping.

"Forget it, Riku." Sora called back to him in a distant and almost lifeless voice. "Just forget everything." And with that he continued walking.

Where did he go wrong?

- - - - - - - -

"_Hey, Sora?"_

_Green eyes looked angelically over at the brunette beside him. Hands were tucked neatly at his sides as his legs hung over the edges of the school bench. The spiky brunette beside him was enjoying a popsicle at the moment, indulging in the sweet, savory flavor. His friend beside him was staring intently at him, memorizing everything about. For years to come._

"_Yeah?" The boy answered, eyes raising off the popsicle._

"_You remember when we were younger?" The silver-haired one inquired, green eyes watching Sora with all he had._

"_Hm . . . yeah, what about it?" Sora had answered, taking another lick as he cocked his head to the side._

"_Remember when I . . . kissed you?" Riku stated rather bluntly, but paused brielfly. This was going to turn out for the bad, he just had that feeling._

"_Um . . . yes?" Sora answered, at once drawing his attention back to the frozen treat in hand, licking away quickly at it to hide the creeping blush on the middle school boy._

"_I wasn't just playing pretend, you know." Riku stated with that golden, 'one in a million' Riku-like smirks, green eyes shimmering in the late spring sun. At once, Sora dropped the popsicle, staring at the other as if he had heard him wrong._

"_You? . . . what?"_

"_I was wondering, well . . . I mean, you'll probably this is weird and all, but I was wondering if you wanted to go out with me?" Such simple words, such as simple, seemingly meaningless question, had such an effect on them, for years to come._

"… _I…" Sora looked to the side, blush swooping onto his face. Before he even had time to answer properly, he had noticed Tidus standing by the tree, giving the pair a suspicious look. And the last thing Sora wanted was to be judged . . . even if it was because of his best friend._

"_I'm sorry!" Sora stammered quickly, jumping off the seat and running in a direction away from the scene._

_And that was the last time they spoke._

- - - - - - - - -

And the words echoed in his head. The phrase 'I hate you' bounced back and forth in his mind over and over again. He had told the other that he still hated him, and was cruel, offensive, and down-right rude to the brunette who had just stepped back into his life. And Riku had every right to be tense, and untrusting. It was not everyday that the person you had loved came back into your life abruptly, and you acquired the feelings back. And it wasn't everyday you found yourself stuck in a dusty old mansion, or house, for a few days with no way out with a town full of weirdoes.

Riku tossed over on the bed, eyes falling to the window. The moon shined brightly outside, glimmering and emitting bright rays of light, reflected from the sun. A sigh passed Riku's lips as he looked to the half-closed closet. Figuring that he wasn't going to get to sleep that night, he arose from his resting spot to make his way over to the boxes on the floor.

Once there, the teen gingerly took a stack of sealed envelops, books, and documents from the cluttered pile. In the dimly lit room, only by moon, the teen began to sort through the information, eyes scanning every word. Over and over.

None of this was making sense, and none of it seemed all that interesting. Perhaps Leon and Sora had been wrong. Perhaps this house was just plain and stupid as Riku had first thought. A grumble passed the silver-haired teen's lips as he walked back over to the bed, letting his body fall onto it. Today had been a long day. Too long, might he had.

What could he do about Sora? If Sora hadn't been the one to squeal, to back-stab, who had? And why was Sora even saying this now? Why would he care what Riku thought about him after all these years? It was not like they were friends anymore, so why should he care? Riku sighed loudly into the night air, rubbing his head.

"I just don't get this," Riku sighed miserably, still not too keen on the idea of having to spend a few more nights in this dusty old room instead of at his luxurious place. And what made it worse was Sora, who he was not on speaking terms with, in the same house. This was all too much to take in, and he needed sleep.

Perhaps things would be better, or worse, the next day. Today had not been completely bad, for the most part, when he broke it down. Sure, he had made a complete ass of himself in front of Sora, claiming the boy to be a mirage then -kissing- him. And sure he had told Sora he hated him and didn't want to see him at all . . . which in his opinion may have been unwise. And sure, maybe he wasn't on speaking terms with the boy after the feud earlier. This was worse then where they had left off . . . Now not only did he have an old house to live in, forced to live in, but he had an angry and distant Sora to contend with.

The one person he knew he could not handle boarding with. He needed Sora more than he could imagine, and he needed to figure out a way to do such, and soon.


	4. Traverse Town

_i haven't died, just taking awhile due to new classes, exams, and dare I say my new boyfriend. You know, the one I talked about last author's note. My best friend. Yea, things are going great. I won't bother you with the details on my personal life, so let's just jump into the chapter. I'm sorry once more for the wait. Sometimes these things take time!_

_excuse the errors, I intend on fixing them sometime. All of them. And yes, updates should be frequent. And if you think you've figured it ou (the plot), well, I can probably assure you you're wrong. ;D_

* * *

**Chapter Three**: Traverse Town

* * *

**-------**

"_Take my hand, Riku!"_

_The brunette shook nervously as he spoke, extending his lanky arm outward. Said arm extended halfway over the river he was attempting to cross. On the other side, to whom he desperately tried to reach, was the older Riku. Green eyes flickered with amusement at Sora as he crossed his arms to his chest. He was ten, and Sora was nine. To Riku, Sora was a little child who needed constant supervision. And like most kids, he needed a constant supply of reassurance of himself. And affection._

"_You're not going to fall." Riku retorted stubbornly, eying the river that seperated them nonchalantly. Silver strands of hair whipped in his face as he watched the usually jovial brunette shake, completely terrified of making the simple jump over the river. What was he so afraid of? They swam in the ocean all the time ... why was he so afraid of falling into harmless water?_

"_Please!" Sora replied quixotically, blue eyes pleading with Riku, not expecting the other to give in. However, his desperation was apparent in his legs trembling beneath his youthful form. _

"_Fine." Riku grumbled, not wanting Sora to have to act saturnine all day because of a mishap. This would be a Pyrrhic Victory. He would be able to hold Sora's hand, his best friend, but he would be giving into the boy's request, consequently making him look soft, to some degree he was. Only when it came to to Sora, that is._

_Riku extended his arm across the river, reaching for the trembling hand of Sora's. Fingers barely reached the other's, intertwining quickly. If Sora hadn't been red from fear earlier, perhaps Riku would have noticed the now blush on his friend's face. Sora had never held hands with anyone before, and even if this was his best friend, it felt reassuring and quite lovely. Regardless, Riku gave the younger boy's hand a squeeze before whispering out in an oddly soft voice. "Just leap forward. Trust me."_

_Sora, quite uncertainly, stared at his friend, and then their hooked hands over the river below. Fear swelled up in Sora as he glanced from the river, to the hands, then to Riku who was staring at him, as if staring at his soul. A silent shudder spread through Sora as he sheepishly nodded to Riku's instruction. Within seconds, Sora had leaped off the embankment he stood on, launching himself in the air towards Riku. The boy pushed forward on his outstretched arm, in result causing the joined hands to smash backwards towards Riku. Once Sora had landed shakily on the ground, he noticed that there hands were now pressed between their chests, and that Riku's free arm had gingerly caught Sora when he jumped._

_Sora stared at Riku for a long moment, realizing that if Riku had not cared enough to catch him, he probably would have fallen into the water. A look of gratitude came across Sora's face as he childishly beamed up at Riku. "T-thanks." He whispered, brown locks hiding his blue eyes._

_The eyes that said it all but could not be read by Riku, for he did not know their language. A language he would only learn -countless- years later._

**-------**

And he kept repeating over and over in his head 'where did I go wrong?'.

The phrase itself seemed simple, and the answer seemed simple as well, but when you took the time and broke it down, you began to realize how complex it really was. There was no cogent answer, nor was there a logical one. The answer lay in the past, now buried by years of hate, guilt, and fear. That answer lay somewhere in Riku's heart that he dared not return to. The place where he had let his emotions lead his actions, resulting in him getting hurt. Now he dared not return, dared not go back to the time where he cared about Sora more than himself, something he said he would never do. He knew Sora would never be better than him, at anything, so he felt the need to protect him, and love him. Not out of pity, but out of ... care.

Jade eyes glanced emptily up at the ceiling of the room. It was the morning of his second full day in town, Traverse Town was it, and he was praying that th e gas Leon had mentioned would be in. He would not get his hopes up though. Besides, a small part of him did not want the gas to come at all because he wanted time to mend the broken ties he shared with Sora, once and for all.

"He said he didn't do it." Riku repeated into the air, turning his head away from the vehement rays of sunlight pouring into the room. "But why did he run from me?..." Riku whispered into the morning arm, hugging his arms up to his chest dejectedly. "Why didn't he kiss me back? Give me a straight answer." Riku mumbled to himself, slowly submerging himself in the past.

"...I need to stop thinking about this." Riku declared into the air with determination, snapping himself out of the recollection of past times. Right now he needed to figure out a way to get out of here, and survive for what ever time he had left here.

Green eyes slipped off the ceiling to the wardrobe across the room. The rather large, maple oak wardrobe sat by the closet, tucked neatly near the corner. It look antique, and Riku wondered why the town hadn't sold it to get some much needed capital.

Curiously, Riku swung his legs off the bed, letting his feet hit the floor in the process. Riku then stood up and made his way over to the wardrobe. The silver-haired male reached out into the stale air around him, groping for the handle. Once found, Riku gave it a violent pull forward.

Inside lay empty hooks where clothes belonged. No clothes whatsoever. Jade eyes glanced curiously about the wardrobe, inspecting it's empty interior. Inside, however, scrunched into the far back corner was a hat. A tan hat, at that. Arching an eyebrow, Riku reached in, snagging the hat from its corner.

"It's probably one of Leon's spares." Riku concluded, looking at the torn and tattered cowboy hat in his hands. Without another thought, he tossed it over his shoulder, back into the wardrobe. He then shut said wardrobe and left it as it was. The silver-haired teen now found himself wandering over to the door to the room, opening it and making his way into the hallway.

However, the moment he did enter the hallway, a feeling of coldness swam through his veins. Rejection, anger, and denial spread through him like a wild fire. Each of his veins acted as an arid field, or dry and dead tree, begging to be set ablaze by the ruthless fire. The fire that consumed all without reason, and only died when it had taken its course. And if you thought about it, anger was just like a wildfire.

"Damnit." Riku seethed, at once leaning his forehead against the nearest wall for support. Emerald eyes shut with frustration. How could he possibly face Sora after what had happened Sora had told him to forget it, forget everything. But how could he? Did the brunette want Riku to just let go of their troubled past once and for all? Did Sora not know how difficult that was?

"..." Riku spared an awkward glance down at his feet. There just had to be an answer. And perhaps, no matter how insane and idiotic the idea sounded, by coming here, he would be able to finally let Sora go. Maybe running into the brunette after all these years was a way to show Riku that he needed to let go and move on in his life.

But Sora. He just could not see himself letting go of that shy, dense, innocent, and adorable person he had grown up with. It just can't all end with hate. Not after all those years.

"He just needs time." Riku concluded.

He knew what he had said was a lie from the moment the first syllable passed his lips. He also knew that no matter how much time Riku allowed Sora, he would never come around. Sora would never be the warm and jovial boy he was. And he certainly would never be open for Riku's affection.

**-------**

Every time he was there to catch him when he fell. This time, he was not sure if he could allow himself to do that again.

"Riku, just the man I wanted to see!"

A hand slapped itself onto Riku's shoulder, clasping the shoulder firmly afterwards. The mysterious and yet kind eyes of Leon stared at Riku as he turned to his right to glance at the person she had just 'slapped' his shoulder. Lips fell into a frown, trying to figure out what the other's intentions were. The frown at once faded when the realization set in. That was right, the gas was supposed to be here. This time, a hopeful grin danced across Riku's face as his heart involuntarily began to increase its speed.

"The gas," Leon began strongly and then averted his gaze, clearing his throat, "well, about that..." Riku's heart plummeted from the slight stammer from the sheriff. Oh that was not a good sign. This was not happening. He said it would be here! He said two days! "... it's taking longer than expected." Leon bluntly finished, figuring he would do better if he just got to his point instead of dancing around the subject like a skittish school girl.

Jade hues filled with anguish and disappointment at once. "When do... you expect it to be in?" It took all of Riku's willpower and self-control not to angrily curse. "Tomorrow?" Riku added on, voice drenched with a false sense of security and a dulling hope.

"Perhaps." Leon spoke, unclasping his hand from Riku's shoulder cautiously. There was more to this, wasn't there? "But gas really isn't the problem here..." Leon added on, arms folding to his chests as he trailed off, not out of nerves but to build the suspense. Riku sensed that this man was one of honesty, and slight manipulation, someone that pretended to show a caring side, but was in fact cold. Unless he just imaging that side.

"Then what's the problem?" Riku retorted suspiciously, eyebrows at once raising.

"You said your car was on the road about a mile from here. Cloud went out to check, and he couldn't find one trace of it." Leon explained, eyes turning to Riku's, searching the other's for any reaction.

And the reaction he got was expected. "What do you mean?!" Riku seethed, hands ballng into fists by his sides. "Of course my car is there! It ran out of gas, it has to be there!" Riku hissed, flexing his hands aggressively. "Besides! I have the key! You see-" Riku dug into his jacket pocket to remove the brass key he had received from the company but did not find it. Eyes filled with panic as he began to dig through his pockets, searching frantically for that little brass key "Where the fuck is it?!"

"Maybe you left it in the car?" Leon shrugged, "Figuring that there really is a car, and you're just not making this up." Leon added on, his own eyebrows raising in suspicion.

The tables had turned, and it made Riku even angrier. This man had no right to be doubting his claim! He had done nothing! "Aerith!" Riku finally stated proudly, so determined. "She saw my car!" Riku added on with a pleasing smirk.

"Aerith isn't here right now." Leon replied coolly, seeming like he wasn't bothered by this claim.

"Then where is she? The bar?" Riku asked expectantly, cocking his head to the side. Stupid country people and their difficult ways, Riku thought weakly, becoming annoyed with the conversation.

"She rode out last night to check up on the gas situation." Leon answered at once.

"Rode out? You said there wasn't any cars.." Riku grumbled darkly, his anger and frustration building by the moment. So now they were liars and car stealers. Oh great, why did he have to end up here?!

"Horse." Leon corrected, amused by Riku's small knowledge of their culture.

"She rode out on a horse... in the desert." Riku repeated, disbelief filling in his voice. "In this weather. Alone." This didn't seem practical and reasonable, thus it must be false.

"That's correct." Leon proved Riku's hesitant answer to be true. The brunette turned his gaze from Riku to the Riso House, a small smirk dancing onto his mysterious features. "That boy up there with you, what's his name?" Leon wondered curiously.

"So- Wait, why do you want to know?" Riku asked defensively, now feeling no sentiment or pity or even respect towards the sheriff. Somehow this man had manipulated him and now he was out of a car, a means of escaping, and stuck in a broken down house with his childhood love, who he regretfully wanted to pin to a wall. And just kiss him. Everywhere. And that very thought made Riku shudder from the idea.

"I'm sorry about the gas situation, Riku. I'm sure it'll be in soon, and when it is you're welcome to borrow one of our cars." Leon offered, eyes glimmering with satisfaction. It seemed like he just had wanted to rile Riku up. However, Riku wasn't buying this fake act. There was definitely something up, but he had no proof.

"Right," Riku grumbled, looking to the Riso House himself, grimacing a bit. Just forget it. Forget everything. The words still dug at his heart, making him wince. Just leap forward, I'll catch you. But who would be there to catch him when he fell this time?

**-------**

Before Riku even knew what was happening, he was being dragged inside the house, the door slamming shut, and a lithe and weak arm attempting to pull him along. Jade eyes at once filled with confusion as he looked to Sora who was trying with all his might to pull the taller teen. A grunt passed Riku at once as he violently withdrew his arm from the other's grasp, causing Sora to tumble backwards onto the floor. A loud sound of protest came from Sora as he scrambled to his feet, rubbing his back from where he fell, frantically. Riku crossed his arms, arching an eyebrow at the other's ... peculiar acts.

"I thought we weren't speaking." Riku spoke darkly, eying the frantic teen. Sora mouthed a word, but no sound came out. Instead, the teen cleared his throat and tried again, desperately trying to reach for the correct words.

"The person I hitched a ride with," Sora began in a nervous ramble, "saw me earlier when I was with Cloud at the bar, and he had a gun, so when I came in I hid, and now he's looking for me and oh my god, he's probably going to kill me!!!" It came out in a frantic whine followed by the brunette shaking.

"Wait... what?" Riku wasn't getting this, or understanding any of it. Why would the guy you hitched a ride with want to kill you? Shoot you, and or whatever Sora thought he was planning to do. And why would he even care?

"He's trying to _kill_ me!" Sora hollered, body trembling from fear.

Riku looked at the other, letting his emerald eyes lock onto blue ones. And that's when he saw something he had not seen for countless years. Possibly ten, give or take a few years. In the boy's eyes was the ultimate fear. Fear for his life. And the last time he saw that ... "Are you sure he wants to kill you? It doesn't seem logical, Sora. I mean-" Riku was soon cut off.

"Riku!" Sora practically whined, wagging a shaking finger towards the window. Emerald eyes followed that finger, glimpsing outside. On the horizon, leaving the city and headed to the house was a tall man. His details Riku could not make out from afar, but he could see the unmistakable shape of a rifle, and a black hat. Riku's gut instantly fell, heart stopping all in one quick motion.

"Take my hand." Riku ordered, extending his hand towards Sora in a flash. The brunette stared questioningly, and nervously, at Riku, the youthful boy he once was staring him in the face. "Don't ask questions. Trust me."

And for some reason, every time he said that, Sora did.

The brunette reached outward, letting his hand shyly clasp in Riku's. With that done, Riku began to rush the pair towards the kitchen, past the hallway, and up the stairs. The echoing sound of feet was heard as they raced up the three flights or stairs, frantically trying to make it to the top floor. Sora's stomach was doing flip-flops, and he swore his legs were going to give out from fear if Riku hadn't been pulling him. Blue eyes remained immersed in fear as he kept his gaze on Riku and their clasped hands. And he kept asking himself, why?

Riku reached the top of the stairs, glancing down the hallway of the top floor. "Listen to me. Go inside each room, lock the door, and then shut it when you're in the hall. By doing this he won't think anything different of the locked room we'll be in. Meet me in my room. Okay?" Riku asked, glancing out the window as the male with the purple-toned hair slowly reached the house. He was about two minutes walking distance now, and it made Riku tremble.

"R-right." Sora nodded and began to scramble into the rooms, flipping the latch to lock, and slamming the door shut.

"Quieter!" Riku hissed to Sora, narrowing his eyes at the boy as they continued to lock the rooms. After around one minute and a half, when whoever that man was, was near the entrance of the house, Riku raced to where Sora was exiting a room. The silver-haired teen quickly snagged Sora's hands, pulling him into the room and locking it behind them. Emerald eyes glanced frantically around the room, giving Sora's hand a tight squeeze.

"Riku..." Sora began but silenced himself.

"We're going to hide in the wardrobe, okay? We can't make a sound, and we have to be patient. All right?" Riku tried to stay calm as he heard a distant door slam shut. The front door. He winced as he looked to Sora who was paler than he had ever been in his whole life. "Sora... we'll be fine," Riku whispered, uncertain of his own words.

"Riku... I..." Sora stammered in a whisper but was silenced when Riku tugged on their adjoined hands opening the wardrobe with his free hand and letting Sora step inside. Riku followed suit, closing the wardrobe behind him as he entered. It was cramped, and it barely fit two people with some extra space. It was dark, but Riku had a small flashlight on his Swiss army nice. And now was the time to thank that crazy father of his for actually buying him one of these.

"Sora," Riku spoke in a hushed whisper, reaching out with his free arm to tilt Sora's head upward so he could see the boy's eyes. Sora shyly looked up, letting his blue eyes in the darkness meet with emerald ones. "Do you still trust me?" The question was simple, and he wanted to know the answer now. Just... incase.

"...what?" Sora asked, face burning from the touch of the one he used to be so close to, and then suddenly stopped speaking to, and forgot for quite awhile. But he was always there, in the back of his mind. Always.

"Do you still trust me?" Riku repeated in the same whisper, afraid that he was not going to get out of this alive. Whoever this man was who was after Sora seemed hell-bent on finding him, and it made Riku shudder to even think about it.

Sora looked Riku squarely in the eye, brown locks falling on his face as he did such. Riku's hand had slipped from his own, letting the other concentrate on the hand upon his cheek, making a wild fire burn inside of him. "I'm in here with you, aren't I?" Sora murmured, uncertain where he stood anymore in Riku's eyes and life.

"That's not an answer." Riku sighed and let his hand drop from the other's face.

"Is to." Sora challenged in a whisper, but was silenced when he felt a pair of strong arms latch around him, pulling him into a tight embrace. His head was now buried into the chest of his ex-friend as his hands rested around the brunette's waist. Sora's own hands were now wrapped around Riku's back, holding him as tight as possible. "Would you hate me if I said I was scared?"

"No, I wouldn't." Riku answered, letting his chin rest on the top of Sora's head. All was silent for a few moments, before the brunette spoke once more.

"I never hated you. Never." Sora whispered, hands flexing on the comforting material of Riku's vest.

"Then why did you do what you did?" Riku inquired, resisting the urge to place a small kiss on the top of Sora's head. Instead, he lent an ear to listen to what the other had to say. He wanted this internal peace, if they were to die. Here and now in this weird house, in a weird town.

"Because I was afraid." Sora muttered softly into Riku's chest, loving the comfort and feeling of safety he got from doing such.

"Afraid of me?" Riku guessed, stomach falling for the third time that day.

"No." Sora answered simply. "I could never be afraid of you," He whispered more so to himself. "I was afraid of what other people ... would say."

"What do you mean?" Riku wasn't getting the picture, and he doubted that he would unless Sora physically spelled it out for him. He hated being in a cramp, dark space explaining this to the other. Hated it a lot.

"I was afraid what people would say if..." Sora let his head move away from the comfort of Riku's chest, to glance innocently up at Riku. "...if we went out." Blue eyes flickered with held back tears as small hands clasped the back of Riku's vest tightly, wishing there was an easier way to say everything that had happened.

"You... wanted to?" Riku stammered in disbelief. Sora, had liked him aswell? As in that kind of way? As in he wanted to be with him? But why. Why did he have to tell him this now. Why couldn't he have swallowed his pride back then and admitted it. Why were things in life so confusing when they didn't have to be.

"Yeah." Sora whispered, lips trembling with nerves. "I wanted to say yes, really badly." Sora continued, watching Riku's face for any sign of reaction.

"Why are you telling me this now?" Riku whispered, uncertain where that man was in the house. But right now he did not care. All he cared about was there small space in this closet, and this moment.

"I just wanted you to know. Just incase..." Sora rubbed the back of his neck nervously, refusing to move away from the comfort of his taller friend.

"Just incase we don't make it out alive. Or just incase we do?" Riku dared, letting his forehead lean downward against Sora's.

The boy at once made a small eep' noise, being met with two fierce green eyes in the dark. The hands of his waist felt like small fireballs, making his lower section burn with that intensity. His throat became dry as he stood there. "I..." He heard a muffled bang from what seemed like the second or first floor, unmistakable to that of a gun shot. He shuddered, only for Riku's arms to tighten around him. He wasn't getting out alive, was he? "I've wanted to do this so badly, Riku." Sora murmured nervously before closing the gap between them.

The brunette's inexperienced lips met with Riku's, freezing time for just that moment. Blue eyes slid shut as he felt that fiery sensation spread across his lips, making him feel weightless. Small hands rose, tangling themselves around Riku's neck. The brunette took a step closer, foot hitting the hat in the wardrobe as he did such, letting his leg rest against Riku's. Riku took that long to actually respond. Green eyes widened in shock and pleasure as his hands around Sora's waist slid back and forth, making the younger teen mew in acceptance into the kiss. Lips clashed against each other, making it that harder to breathe. He wanted this so badly. Wanted him so badly.

"R-iku..." Sora broke off, panting wildly, but tried his best to whisper. "W-e-e're not getting out alive... are we?" He whispered uncertainly.

"Shut up," Riku spoke, holding Sora tight to his chest. "But even if we don't," He let his lips fall down to the other's neck, earning a gasp of pleasure from Sora. "I want you to know that this is real."

"Riku... p-please," Sora spoke in a whisper. "I don't want to die." And Riku's lips ceased at once when the other buried his head into his chest, tears streaming down his face.

And it broke Riku's heart to see or more so hear the other cry. The flashlight from Riku's Swiss army knife was now off on the floor by Riku's foot, discarded from their earlier moment. "I'll catch you if you fall," Riku informed Sora, "every time."

"I've missed you..." Was the last thing Sora said, letting his head rest against Riku's chest, being lulled by the steady beat. They both knew any more talking would lead to their discovery, and that was the last thing they both needed. Riku sighed helplessly, wondering if they got out alive, if anything would change. Did this mean they were together? Or was Sora going to break his heart again, faced with the cruelty of reality and the public?

For what felt like hours they stood there, listening to the banging on several doors on their floor and the dissatisfied grunts of the man. At one point their door had been banged, followed by a loud and piercing gunshot to a wall. Riku was not sure what wall, but he assumed it was either the ceiling or a hallway wall. Sora winced from the gunshot, holding Riku closer in fear. The footsteps left the door, and they remained there for another hour.

And it felt like night. Riku was afraid of leaving the wardrobe, half of the man and half of things returning to normal. Sora had fallen asleep on his friend, peacefully exiting to his world of dreams, escaping the painful and cruel reality of life. And Riku let him sleep. Legs gave out as he slid his back against the wall of the wardrobe, so he was now sitting against it with Sora sprawled out beside him, barely, head resting in his lap.

"We're safe... but I know this won't change anything."

And he just knew that when Sora woke up, it would be like this _never _happened.

It would be like this was all a dream, and that they didn't care for one another. Life was harsh, and faced with danger, the truth emerges, but when safety returns, the truth buries itself deep inside, away once more. And it hurt _so_ much.


	5. The Riso House III

_**sorry for the wait. haven't had much inspiration lately. but once i started to write this i couldn't stop. haha, some horror in this one. not much, seeing its near the beginning of the story and plot. anyway, enjoy this one and leave me a review, all right? and sorry for the grammatical errors. I always seem to miss them!**_

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Cabalistic  
**Chapter Four**: The Riso House III  
_katraa

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_

Exhausted aquamarine eyes opened. A very small amount of light filtered in through the cracks of the wardrobe. Morning had come at last, and never before had Riku regretted the day. Stiff arms, that had become such from the uncomfortable position he fell asleep in, rose from around the slumbering brunette. A groan of disapproval emitted Riku's lips from moving after countless of hours of remaining in the same position. His right hand reached outward to give the wardrobe's door a shove open, allowing more light to leak into their hiding spot. The sun. It was really the morning.

The insufferable realization hit Riku as he glimpsed down at Sora, still lost in the world of dreams. A sigh emerged from the silver-haired male's lips as he maneuvered Sora off his body, allowing the other to lay within the wardrobe. Riku, to be honest, was afraid to leave the comfort of the room. Half because of the crazed lunatic with the gun who wanted to kill Sora, and half because he knew that the moment he left, things would change. Last night would seem like a dream, and perhaps if he denied the things Sora claimed to remember, things would be all right. It was an illogical idea, but it worked. For now.

Riku passed across the room, pausing at the window. Green hues gazed outside, watching the sunrise over the small mountains in the distance, and across the arid desert. Nothing seemed real anymore. Everything that had happened the past few days confused the hell out of him. First, a town that lacked any sign of sophistication, then Sora showing up, and then some gun wielding guy whom was hell-bent on killing them. This was like something out of a bad horror movie where none of the clues made sense.

"Nn?..." A soft, almost inaudible noise emitted from Sora, spiky head raising sleepily from his resting spot. Blue eyes slowly opened, taking in the sight of the room, of life. The boy's heart beat erratically once he realized where he was; and what happened the night before.

Riku's eyes fell downward as he forced a reply, "Glad to see that you're actually awake. I was getting bored being stuck in this room." And it hurt him more then words could express to be so cruel to the teen.

"Sorry…" Sora mumbled in dejection, arising from his spot in the wardrobe, wincing at actually moving. Silence fell among the pair before Riku turned to glance at Sora, saying nothing, but instead leaving the room, slamming the door shut behind him, sending the other one last final look of longing.

"…." Sora sighed miserably, knowing that Riku was too complex of a person to allow himself to fall in love. "So it was all an act?.." Sora sighed, rubbing his head in confusion. Was Riku just saying that because he wanted one last feeling of romance before he died? How could someone be that self-centered?

Sora hurriedly left the room, leaving the tan cowboy hat scrunched in the back of the wardrobe. Brunette locks of hair fell onto his swarthy skin as he made his way down the spiraling stairs, trying to catch up with his friend. Or were they going back to not speaking? Was this a l- … a speak and hate relationship? The word love was far too cliché, and did not fit into this equation one bit.

Once at the bottom of the stairs, Sora's eyes glanced around the bottom level, in hopes of spotting Riku. When he did, a nervous look showed with twinge within his mystified heart.

"What I really want to know is why someone would be so determined to track down someone they gave a free ride to. Doesn't make any sense, and seems too troublesome for anyone normal." Riku shot Sora a glance from across the dusty room. "Are you going to tell me what really happened, or am I expecting too much?"

"Riku!" Sora felt a bit of anger swell up in him, but knew it was difficult to get it across as anger. He never was good with emotions. "I told you the truth!" Sora retorted, a bit offended by the fact that Riku thought he was lying.

So back to hating then… Sora mused with regret, blue eyes gluing themselves to the floor, finding it suddenly more interesting then Riku.

"Sora, people just don't want to kill you for giving you a ride! You're not telling me something, and it's risking me my life, damint." Riku hissed, green eyes narrowing at the brunette who suddenely snapped his head up in surprise and stun.

"Your life/Your/ life?" Sora questioned in insulted stammer, "What about my life, Riku?! He's out to kill me, not you!" How could Riku be so egocentric.

"Why do I even bother speaking to you? You haven't matured a bit," Riku scoffed to himself, wishing to say how he truly felt once again. He wanted to return to that cramped space where everything was out. He wanted to kiss Sora once again, run his hands through his hair, hold him, and tell him he missed him so much. This was just plain torture.

"You're the one that hasn't matured," Sora replied with a sigh, glancing around the dusty and dark house with a sign of longing to be home. He just wanted to go home and return to college. Really badly.

"And you can blame that on yourself." Riku interjected with a sneer, refusing to look at Sora any longer. He had to stay strong. He could not allow himself to fall back into the dangerous cycle of showing his true emotions. That was how he got hurt in the first place. It was hard to break old habits…

"It's not my fault that you're so … argh." Sora replied with annoyance, making his way across the room to stare out the window, wishing for something better to do. Anything but be stuck with the one person he thought he had always wanted to be with.

"Ha. Right." Riku grumbled in frustration, arms folded to his chest as he remained leaning against a wall, on the opposite side of the room as Sora. Green eyes filled with instant remorse for being so cruel. But he had to, really, even though he hated it. "And to think that I actually believed I cared."

And it hurt both hard to hear that.

"…" Sora's eyes peeled off the window, staring questioningly at Riku, tears forcing themselves to stay in Sora's deep blue eyes. A gulp passed Sora, trying to keep in all his mental anguish. So it was an act … Sora repeated in his mind, never even wanting to see the other. "To think that I actually believed you." Sora whispered loudly before making his way to the front door, hands clenched by his sides.

"Sora…" Riku murmured, jade hues glimpsing to Sora as he tried to walk over to the other and catch him before he left.

"What?" Sora forced himself to snap back.

"It just wouldn't work." Riku answered, making the room fill with a stale silence. He hated what he said, wished it was true, but he knew it wasn't. Last night showed him it would work, but he was afraid. Afraid of being lost in love and losing himself, and then being blindly stabbed in the back by the other. He was untrusting by nature, and couldn't allow someone that close.

"I didn't think it would either…" Sora whispered, "But I was willing to give it a shot, and here you are ridiculing me," A mock laugh as he painfully gripped the handle to the front door. "…I think it would be better if we just went back to not speaking."

Riku felt a cold dagger jam into his heart from the words. "Agreed." Even though his heart was screaming in protest.

- - - -

"_Don't you wish sometimes that make-believe was real?"_

_Sora sat on the pier, feet dangling off the edge, feet gently touching the top of the ocean water. Bashful blue eyes turned to Riku, waiting, expecting an answer from the older boy. He was so benevolent, so curious, and so innocent by nature, that it really was a sin for Riku to feel this way._

"_What do you mean?" Came the simple response from Riku, craning his head to the side as he looked to Sora._

"_You know. If what we pretended to be was real. Like everything we dreamed up came true, that kind of thing." A goofy smile accompanied that as Sora laughed softly. "Sorry. I'm just daydreaming about stupid things again."_

"_That would be nice, I guess." Riku shrugged his shoulders, green eyes staring at the sunset. "But wouldn't you miss reality? Your real life?" Riku inquired, wishing more then ever that what he desired would come true._

"_I guess, after awhile." Sora replied, tilting his head to the side._

"_What about Kairi? Would she be in this dreamed up world?" Riku smirked, glancing to Sora this time as he spoke._

"_Uhm. Maybe?" Sora felt a slight blush dance on his face as he laughed. "Do you think that the real world, off this island, is as great as everyone says it is?"_

"_Yeah." Riku replied, silently smiling to himself. "It is."_

- - - -

Riku's hands dug through the files in the closet, trying to find something of interest. Emerald eyes darted across the words as he sat there in silence, trying his best to understand what he was reading. There was an owner certificate for the house in the name of Leon. Then there was a faded photograph Riku could not make out. With a scoff, he chucked it over his shoulder and continued. The next item was a picture of Aerith and Cloud at the bar, waving at the camera with a genuine smile. Then in another picture after that was Aerith laughing. Was this the same woman Riku had met? She seemed so real in these photos, so lively. It was a bit unnerving to see her in her current state. Did something happen?

The next thing Riku came across was a single silver chain. Jade hues glanced at the jewelry with interest, hands running across its coarse texture. Finding it to be of no interest, Riku pushed it back into the box, only to emerge with another photograph.

In that photo was what seemed to be the same man from the day before. Or perhaps he just looked similar. Riku squinted at the photo. The man was tall with dark purple hair, and piercing orange eyes. He wore a black shirt with jeans and a black jacket. He was with Leon at the bar, and they were both smirking at the camera as if nothing phased them.

"This can't be the same man," Riku shrugged, about to put the picture down until he noticed a gun sitting on the counter behind them, as plain as day. The same gun he had seen the man with. A shiver ran up Riku's spine as he felt his body turn to ice. That man lived here; and Sora was out there somewhere.

"Fuck." Riku seethed, pushing the box in the closet with distress as he made his way quickly out of the room, slamming the door once again behind him. Feet trampled against the floor as he ran towards the stairs, taking five at a time in a desperate attempt to save the person he had claimed to hate.

Sora dieing would solve nothing.

Once at the bottom of the stairs, Riku frantically ran through the kitchen towards the front door, reaching out desperately to open it. When he did, he attempted to run out, only to collide with another's body.

"Ow." Riku hissed in pain, falling to the ground, back into the house.

He cracked open his green eyes, only to be met with orange ones shimmering down at him. Riku's heart froze as he stared at the man, lips parting in sudden fear. He spotted no gun or weapon, which was the only good thing about this whole thing. As quickly as he could, Riku scrambled to his feet, about to shut the door on the man only for the purple-haired male to step in front of it, making it impossible to shut.

"Leon told me someone was up here, and you must be him." He didn't seem like a killer … "Xemnas." He extended his hand to Riku who questioningly stared at it.

Silence.

"You're supposed to shake it and offer your name." Xemnas hinted with a smirk that showed no malice or anger. Riku blinked, not understanding anything, and hesitantly extended his own. The man shook it quickly before awaiting Riku's response.

"My name's Riku…" Riku mumbled, not daring to breathe a word about Sora.

"Hm. Unique name," Xemnas shrugged and glanced beyond Riku into the house. "Find anything of interest in there? Leon always is leaving things behind, so I wouldn't be surprised if you found treasure in there." A laugh followed that made Riku wince.

"Er. Right." Riku replied with a nod, wishing more then anything that he had not been so cruel to Sora. If he had not the boy would be in the house and safe. Damn irony.

"Leon told me to come up here and check on you. He was surprised to have not seen you today, was a bit worried." Xemnas offered, yawning a bit as he spoke. Not once did those orange eyes leave Riku, which only added to his creeping suspicion and discomfort.

"I'm fine," Riku stated simply and shortly, hairs on the nape of his neck standing on their ends.

"That's good." Xemnas nodded and paused. "Would you care to accompany down to town for a drink? Wouldn't want a visitor to go without befriending everyone." His wording made Riku mentally cringe. Was this man for real? He sounded far too fake to be true.

"I'm fine, but thanks for the offer." Riku retorted, hoping that his words would save him and allow him to stay here.

"Hm. If you change you're mind, I'll be down at the bar." Xemnas nodded his head to Riku before turning around to leave. Before he did such, he glanced over his shoulder at Riku, "If you do anything while you're here, make sure _not_ to go down in to the basement. Place is falling apart and you'd probably end up getting killed in the mess down there." And with that he left.

"Fucking creep." Riku murmured to himself, slamming the door shut with aggravation.

- - - -

Riku slept on the dusty couch of the living room, waiting and praying for Sora to come back safely. His dreams were quite bizarre. Most consisted of the mirage Sora he had encountered his first few days here. He did not understand at all why he had even conjured them up, or why they were so different then the real Sora. Riku winced in his sleep as mirage Sora had told him bluntly that he rather would want him dead then to be with him. And of course, like he always seemed to due, the mirage had placed a contradictory kiss to Riku's lips, making him shudder in his sleep.

"S-stop." Riku mumbled out in fear, the mirage's fingers trailing down his neck in the dream he was currently stuck in. Those eyes, they were emotionless as the mirage placed another taunting kiss to his lips, hands falling to unbutton his shirt. "Stop…" Riku called out once more, heart beating in despair.

"_What? You don't like games, Riku_?"

"You're not Sora…" Riku spoke in his dream, and out loud, clutching his arms tightly to his chest. He wanted to escape from the mirage, from the dream, but was stuck in its realm.

"_Why would you want him when you have _me_? I'm what you want, after all_"

"No." Riku stated firmly, repeating the word over and over. "No." He wanted the real Sora, not some imitation his desires had created to taunt him. He wanted Sora, even if it meant his downfall. In his dreams, he could have him. In reality, it was impossible.

Eyes snapped open when mirage Sora's hands had pressed to his cold, bare chest, trailing down to the seam of his pants, giving a taunting tug before he awoke. His heart beat insanely fast as he glimpsed about the empty house.

"Fucking dreams." Riku grumbled in discontent, rubbing his eyes and sighing.

A bang distracted him from his grumbling. Emerald eyes widened from the sound, glancing around to figure out where it came from. It did not sound like this level at all. It didn't sound like from above either. It sounded like right below him… a ways down. Great.

"Of course." Riku seethed, glancing down at the floor with despair.

Before he knew what he was doing, he was creeping silently into the kitchen, rubbing his head, trying to push the groggy feeling aside. His feet clashed silently against the floor as he walked. Once inside the kitchen, he glanced around, trying to figure out where the entrance to the basement was. If there as a basement, there must be something of some interest down there. Perhaps an old photo album or anything.

A small, worn out door in the corner of the kitchen finally caught his attention. A smirk filtered onto Riku's lips as he hesitantly made his way over to it. His hand extended from his side to grip the handle, giving it a tug open.

A cough escaped his lips when a cloud of dust and dirt flew out. Riku closed his eyes at once, letting the dust settle. When he did open them, he glanced with curiosity at the stairs leading downward and the darkness beyond. No light-switch, nothing.

"Figures." Riku shrugged, body suddenely becoming cold.

Why was he even doing this? What if what that man had said was true and he ended up getting trapped down there and dieing? Nah, that was absurd. It was just a basement. Not like you could get trapped down there. Idiot, Riku mused darkly, placing his right foot onto a stair.

The stair let out a squeak, which really it the mood. Lips pierced into a scowl as he slowly made his way down the stairs, being surrounded by darkness. His pace slowed as he walked down the steps. His heart had begun to beat too quickly when he realized he was at the bottom. He could see nothing now, just darkness all around him. He was in the basement, and he had no idea where he was going. It was a bit creepy…

Riku slowly edged forward into the darkness, extending his hands to feel his way around. It was a large space, and it took some time before he found a dusty wall to walk against. It was around five minutes of walking straight before his foot had his something.

Just what was it?

Perhaps a box. Riku paused, scrunching his nose with amusement. His left hand reached downward to run across the object, making him flinch and jerk backwards in instant shock. It was wet … but _what_ was wet? His heart skipped a beat as he stood there, afraid to even move. How could something wet be down in a basement that was claimed to be dangerous.

He would have spoken, but by this point he was petrified. And it frightened him even more when he realized that he had no way of finding his way back to the stairs. He could go back the way he came against the wall, but after that he had no recollection of which way he came from. Down here felt like a maze, and he suddenely understood why Xemnas warned him.

A slamming of a door made him suddenely jump in fear. The basement door. His heart pounded with sudden fear as he inched away from what ever the wet object was, back a few meters. He tried to keep his breathing steady, but the fear was taking over. This was such a bad idea. Such a bad, bad idea.

A light flickered in the distance. Flashlight. He was too afraid to know who _held_ the flashlight. What if it was that crazy Xemnas? What if he had planned to tell Riku not to go down, knowing that he would, and now came back to kill him? What if that wet object was blood. His stomach churned with instant anxiety.

Fuck.

A light flickered his way as he crouched down just in time. The light went off, making him gulp painfully. What if he had been spotted? Oh double fuck. He shut his eyes painfully, standing there in silence. It had to be Xemnas, he would be the only one to know of the basement and come down here. He would be the only to know that Riku would be done here. Sadistic bastard.

Riku hoped, prayed, that he had made his way back up the stairs, figuring Riku was somewhere else. He relaxed a bit after a few moments. He was safe. "That was too," Riku began in a whisper until a hand touched his shoulder, making a scream come from him as he fell backwards onto the ground.

"Riku?" The voice questioned.

Sora.

"S-sora?" Riku stammered, wincing in pain as he arose from his spot in the darkness. The flashlight turned on, shining at him and lighting the small area. Blue eyes stared at him, hidden behind locks of brown.

"Don't you ever fucking do that again." Riku seethed, reaching out to shake Sora's shoulders with frustration. That was all he needed was to have a heart attack.

"Why are you down here?" Sora did not sound too concerned, but if you listened close enough, you could tell he was holding back concern.

"Looking." Riku retorted before reaching out for Sora's free hand, earning a confused look from the brunette. "I'm getting out of here, and you have a flashlight so you're following." Riku informed in a mutter, dragging Sora along with him, finding the stairs and leading them both up the creaky stairs.

He officially hated basements. And wet… unknown objects.

"What happened to us not speaking?" Sora dared as he watched Riku shut the basement door in a slam.

"That guy that came here with the gun," Riku explained, frustration leaking into his voice, "He came by earlier. Said he wanted to just introduce himself or something like that. Sora, I thought he had killed you." Riku made known, green eyes shimmering with relief and anger.

"…He's still in town?!" Sora stammered nervously, watching Riku.

"He _lives_ here." Riku enlightened, gulping painfully before glancing at the basement. "He told me not to go down there. Sora… I think he's a murderer." Riku mumbled, body chilling to the core.

"You can't jump…" Sora began but was cut off.

"He tried to kill us!" Riku retorted, finally letting go of Sora's hand to Sora's disappointment.

"Maybe he's not the same guy." Sora suggested but Riku sighed.

"He's the same one… I saw a photo." He let his back push against the basement door as he collapsed into a sitting position. "I want out of here so badly." Riku mumbled darkly. "This town is fucking screwed up." He wanted out. Now. He wanted to go home and go back to being unhappy, but alive and safe.

"…" Sora glanced at Riku wearily, never having seen his friend so upset and terrified as he was this moment. "…Riku." Sora was about to say something but silenced himself. Instead, the brunette painfully tore his glance off Riku and headed towards the entrance to the kitchen.

"I'm going upstairs…"

Something was definitely up with this town, that he knew. And Sora seemed to know more then Riku gave him credit for. Something needed to be done. Before anything else happened…


	6. RISO

_hopefully the wait for this chapter is not as bad as the other ones were. heh. for some reason i got creeped out writing the last bit. i blame the fact that it was ten at night, completely dark, and i was zoning out, imanging it in detail. and my mind wandered off to more stuff?... no idea. well review please. hope this makes for the most part. more explainied later._

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C_abalistic_

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"Why can't I get him off my mind?..."

Sora sighed miserably as he sat in a dusty old chair by the window of the room across from the one Riku slept in. Blue, lonely, eyes stared out said window, glancing at the mountains juxtaposed. They created an endless scenery, something Sora envied and yet adored. It was a weird kind of mix, just like Sora's emotions for this house. His job had been to discover its past for his project in college, and he really had not done any work on it since he had been here. And for that, he blamed Riku.

And it came back to Riku again.

Sora winced as he buried his head into his shoulders. He wouldn't be in this predicament with some insane man with a gun if he hadn't got the e-mail to come here. Come to think of it, he wouldn't even be alive if it had not been for Riku ... now, and countless times in their youth.

Sora winced once more at the other's name in his head. The brunette began to desperately try and think of something else. His love of art. That was a good one. The vehement colors always seemed so cheerful, so beautiful. The blues, reds, yellows, greens... the beautiful shade of an almost emerald green that was Riku's eyes, so seducing and caring and.

It all came back to Riku.

"Argh!" Sora vocalized with vexation, leaning his head against the glass of the window with an exasperated sigh. Not speaking to Riku was proving to be difficult, and mentally tiring. He just could not spend his days here, ignoring the man he had known all his life. Sora wearily glimpsed around the room. He could no longer crack a smile or a frown at Riku, pretending that the other night had not happened. God, they had both /felt/ something, he knew it. He needed to feel that again. But Riku was too head-strong and proud to allow Sora to do that, and Sora of all people knew that.

All the memories, times he had spent with Riku kept bombarding his mind. Riku had always been cold, scornful, dark, and really the only time Sora had not seen him as such was last night in that cramped space. He seemed so sincere, so kind, so real. Sora craved for him like that, just one more time. Craved it so badly that it hurt him to even begin to think about it.

Regardless of his longings just to be friends with Riku again, and the desire to become even more, the brunette pushed himself up and off the chair and made his way towards the door. However, before he did such, he paused. The closet door was cracked open, making his body freeze. Wearily, the brunette turned around, blue eyes staring at the opened door with contemplation. Was it always like that?... Did Riku open it? Did that crazy man?

Against his better judgment, Sora proceeded to walk up to the closet, nervously extending a hand to fully open the door. Once it was opened, he shut his eyes painfully, expecting something to lunge out at him. Nothing ever did come. Life was not a horror movie or a book. Things did not pop out of closets; they came from places that generated much more fear.

Blue eyes slowly opened, glancing at a small box by his foot. With curiosity, the brunette reached down to grab the only item within. Small hands held a simple silver locket. Fingers moved to the hinge, trying to pry it open but in the end failed. With a sigh, Sora shoved it in his pocket, not noticing the engraving on it at all.

The brunette turned around once more and went back to leaving the room, closing the door with a gentle thud sounding. Blue hues glimpsed up and down the hall nervously, expecting someone to be there. He really needed to get out of this house before he lost his mind. Someone wanting to kill him was here, how could he stay sane and not worry?

"Sora."

Sora glanced straight ahead, watching Riku lean against his own door's frame with a faint scowl. Behind that scowl was a look of obvious hurt and regret. Sora blinked a few times, anxiously looking downward, refusing to meet the other's gaze.

"...I'll be in my room if you need me." Riku informed, entering and closing the door with a thud. Sora sighed to himself, holding back tears of frustration. Unknown to Riku, Sora remained outside the door silently, leaning his body against it, sobbing uncontrollably, wondering where did he go wrong?

Inside Riku let out a mumble of his own, something akin to the other's name. Green eyes turned to the closet he had found so much interest in. Something in the back of the open closet caught his eye at once, galvanizing the older male to make his way over to it. Muscular arms extended outward, snatching onto the rainbow fabric. His hands ran over it, blinking in confusion at the same time.

He paused, holding the bandana with questions running through his mind. He said nothing as he made his way back over to the wardrobe, opening it slowly and staring at the discarded, beaten tan hat in the back. Weakly, Riku reached in and grabbed it.

Delicate fingers traced over the ragged rim of the hat. The weird feeling he got from the skin to rough texture was quite unbearable. But it was not so much the feeling of the material, but more so the hat. Emerald eyes stared, fixated on the tan cowboy hat for several moments. Riku's left hand rose from the rim of the hat, letting his finger brush against the rainbow bandana that was tightly clutched in his grasp. Weakly, he tied it tightly around the center of it. Jade eyes looked at the hat, until a single phrase passed his lips.

"You always get to be sheriff..."

- --- --

_"Riku!" Sora pouted, heaving his seven year old self off the couch and tackling his silver haired companion to the ground. "Let me see the hat! I want to be sheriff today! I've even got my bandana to make the hat better!" Sora whined, clingy hands trying to snag the tan hat off of his friend's head._

_Riku grunted, pushing the needy Sora off his body and quickly taking the hat off his own head to hold in his hands. "No. It's my hat." Riku retorted simply, fingers holding the hat tightly as green eyes watched the young Sora pout._

_"But Riku!! You always get to be sheriff!!" Sora pouted, arms folding across his chest as he fell back against the couch of his living room. Beautiful blue eyes watched Riku, waiting for the boy to hand it over. Riku, however, smirked to himself as he eyed the hat._

_"You want to be sheriff, Sora?" Riku inquired, voice innocent enough. And perhaps he was innocent, being eight and all. Then again, innocence had it's downfalls, one being the consequences for what seemed to be simple things._

_"Yes!" Sora exclaimed widely, a large and trademark grin plastering itself onto his face. Brunette locks fell in his blue eyes, giving him that lost puppy look. Sora sat there, expecting the other to toss the hat his way, but when it never came, Sora stared at his friend with confusion._

_"You have to kiss me first." Riku declared triumphantly, green eyes filled with that childhood innocence and curiosity._

_"Huh?.." Sora answered at once, tilting his head to the side as he arose off the couch. Blue eyes left the hat to glance at his friend nervously. "Kiss you?..."_

_"Yeah. You know, like all those people do in the western movies we watch." Riku beamed brightly at his friend, trying to be helpful, sly, and at the same time nonchalant. After all, this was Riku._

_"...But mom said-" Sora began in a stumble, only for Riku's free hand that had left the hat moments before, reach out and take his own. A small blush crossed Sora's youthful face as he stared at his best friend._

_"You want the hat, right?" Riku inquired, to which he received a nod. "And you want to play western cowboys, right?" Another nod. "Then I don't see a problem with you kissing me. Just pretend that I'm some new guy in town and you're ... oh just use your imagination." Riku trailed off in an annoyed scoff, not really thinking ahead too much._

_"O-okay..." Sora nodded, looking to Riku. Blue eyes met with green ones as Sora ever so slowly pushed himself up onto his toes. Riku smirked, watching Sora move closer. And it was such an inexperienced and badly aimed kiss. But it was still a kiss._

_Sora's lips had met Riku's for a few seconds, gently brushing against his friend's. And with that kiss, Sora became sheriff for the day. And the bandana did make it better._

- --- --

Riku's hands froze, letting the hat fall from his grasps onto the bedroom floor with a silent thud. Green eyes suddenly began to fill with tears. Not only those of confusion, but those of guilt, greed, and pain. Sharply shutting his eyes, Riku inched his way on his bottom away from the wardrobe, kicking it closed with his right foot. It was then when Riku pushed his back against the wall, drawing his knees close to his chest. And for the first time in a long time, he just broke down and cried.

Nothing made sense to him. Why would that hat, the memory of their first kiss, even if it was pretend, be here? Did Sora bring it with him? Certainly not, if Sora hated Riku for confessing. Perhaps it was a different hat. Many hats were tan... Pain wrapped around Riku's heart tightly, making him painfully cough for the lack of air. It felt like thousands of needles jabbing into the tender and healing part of his heart, further smashing, breaking, and torturing it. And soon he just couldn't breathe, and he literally had to gasp for air in between the distressed sobs.

He hadn't realized until that very moment that to his right, where he was sitting, carved messily into the walls was the word RISO in a poorly shaped heart. And it made him wheeze, and grab his chest painfully. Not only from the realization of all the horrible and manipulative things he had done, even if it was just a kiss, but from the shock and confusion.

Nothing was making sense.

"Riku?!"

Sora stood at the doorway to the room, tilting his head to the side as he stared at the broken down state of Riku. For all the time Sora had known Riku, he had never seen him cry. Not once. Blue eyes filled with guilt, wondering if it was his fault for being so cruel and stubborn and distant. But it wasn't his fault he was acting like that. He was just trying to protect himself from being hurt. That was all.

A gasp for air was all that Sora got for a reply. A look of pain crossed Sora's face as well as he looked to his former friend, pity forming in his blue eyes. Cautiously, and uncertain of himself, Sora made his way over to the curled up Riku. Once there, he carefully sat himself down beside the sobbing male, trying to figure out what had caused this sudden... drastic change. Riku never cried.

"...Riku?" Sora asked again, afraid to know the truth. "What's wrong?..." He would have asked if /something /was wrong, but he already knew the answer to that, so he went to the details.

Riku gasped once more, catching his breath this time. Clouded green eyes stared at Sora beside him before he extended a hand to the wall beside him, letting his fingers trace the letters. The letters he had carved... the ones that meant... that they-

"What?" Sora strained his neck to glance at what Riku was desperately showing. Blue eyes stared at the heart, confusion wrapping around the brunette. For some reason, he was not getting it. Why would Riku write that? Perhaps Leon had a daughter and she had written the name of the house? But.. that was not a teenager male's writing. No one wrote that messily. If only Sora had been less dense. "I don't..."

"Damnit, Sora!" Riku seethed, letting his hands fall from the carving to snatch Sora by the hand, not by the wrist as he had done several times over the past few days. Riku rose to his feet, dragging Sora with him over to the tightly closed wardrobe. A small yelp came from Sora as he complied, letting Riku bring him over to said wardrobe.

With one quick movement, Riku had reached onto the ground, grabbed the hat, and thrown it in Sora's face, letting his hand drop from his own.

And all Sora could do was stare at it, the rainbow bandana, and then the look on Riku's face. "That's... your..."

"My hat.. that I gave you." Riku informed, wincing slightly as he closed his eyes, trying to calm his erratic heart. "What the fuck is going on, Sora?" Riku tried asking calmly, but his harsh words canceled out the calm tone immensely.

"I..." Sora looked at the hat then to the carving once more. "Isn't that... but how... Maybe it's a different hat? I mean.."

"I don't know," Riku spoke, trembling a bit as he took a deep breath. His mind was spinning in so many directions, and the final realization had hit him hard, making silent tears fall from his mind. "S-sora? Do you...do you know why this house is called The Riso House?"

"No?..." Sora answered, uncertain of himself anymore.

"..." Riku looked down, heart being twisted and battered. " 'We'll think of a name together. Something we can both agree on. How about the first two letters of our names? So that it'll be ours, and only ours? It'll be the Riso House.' " Riku spoke in a somewhat mocking tone.

"...'that's a great idea... but why does your name come first?' " Sora murmured, memory flooding back to him like a bloody river. And he had no idea how painful this was.

This time, they both spoke simultaneously. "Because I'm older, goof ball."

"..." Riku looked down, eyes staring at the floor darkly. He did not want to understand this. It made no sense. Nothing made any sense. How could this house, the one he and Sora had made up and pretended to live in when they were younger, actually exist? How could the entire town... exist? How could anything be real? Or was this just a mirage?... Was he dead?

"Riku...maybe it's just a coincidence. Maybe we read something when we were little regarding this place, and we just liked it so we pretended to make it up?" Sora was trying his best to think of a logical explanation.

"The hat," Riku spat, heart about to erupt. "And the heart, Sora!"

"What about the heart...?" Sora wondered weakly, glancing at the letters in the side of the wall that had once been unnoticed.

"I wrote that into my bedroom wall when I was eight." Riku hissed.

Sora's heart dropped upon hearing the words fall from Riku's mouth. He had ... cared about him that long? Blue eyes stared in dismay at Riku, body feeling weightless. Riku had cared since he was eight? And now they were ... god, he must have been infatuated with him for around ten or so years. Sora at once felt weak and unable to make any coherent words.

"If this is some kind of sick joke Leon and Xemnas are trying to pull on us, it's working." Riku spat, body shivering from shock. Jade hues stared numbly at the heart and then back to Sora who looked completely mortified. "I understand us taking the name of this house from something we've read, but the hat, the carving, it doesn't make sense." Riku wheezed in a cough. He felt so dead.

"Maybe Leon had a daughter or something and she wrote it into the wall?... I mean, Riso could stand for anything.." Sora trailed off.

Riku's hand once more reached across the room, taking Sora's in his in desperation. "Then tell me why it fits, Sora. Tell me why we remember making up that name."

"I don't know." Sora answered honestly, not wanting to believe something this insane was actually true. There was no magic, and thus what Riku was proposing was nonsense. Everything had a rational explanation, just like art, just like love.

"Sora." Riku was finally calming down, body aching for something real. "That basement, Xemnas, this... I can't handle this. I just want to go home," He repeated weakly, sounding weaker then he ever had. And it hurt Sora just as bad to see Riku in such a state.

"Riku... I'm sure we can figure out-" Sora began in a whisper but was shocked when he felt his body being pushed up against the nearest wall. A small 'eep' escaped his lips as he stared at Riku, blue eyes blinking at him with confusion. "Riku?" He managed, feeling hands resting on his narrow hips, making his head spin in circles around and around.

"I need something real, Sora. I need to know that this isn't just a god damn nightmare or that I'm dead. Damn Sora, I need /you/," He murmured in such desperation that it shocked himself. His last words were slurs as he pressed his lips tightly to Sora's, making that electric feeling spike up and down his spine.

Sora felt intoxicated at once as he lifted his numb arms to tangle themselves in the other's hair. Riku. Riku's hot and heavy breath on his own, Riku's hair between his fingers, Riku's lips crashing against his own, Riku's body flush against his. Riku. It all came back to Riku, and no matter how much he claimed to hate Riku for all that he had done, he just couldn't.

"Please don't pull away," Riku whispered into the chaste kiss, praying that the other wasn't going to run. Not this time. Not anymore. He didn't want Sora running from him anymore like he had done in the past. He didn't want Sora to leave his life like he had done countless times before. He wanted to stay here with him. Even if here was not that enjoyable.

"Riku," Sora mumbled in a small gasp, "I..." He managed to get out before he felt a tongue jab at his parted lips, entering his mouth and caressing his own tongue. It was hard to speak with another's tongue against your own, so he said nothing. Sora wasn't sure if he loved Riku, liked him, or hated him. Loved seemed too off, liked seem ... a bit weird but perhaps true, and hated, that was just impossible now.

"Please. Just this once. Let me take you. Ten years," Riku had began once he had returned to chaste, tongue-less kisses. "Ten years I've loved you, and I've refrained from this for so long."

"Riku, I don't know..." Sora answered in a whisper, not wanting the kisses and affection to stop even though he was afraid of the outcome. Riku's hands had begun to teasingly snake their way up his shirt, barely a few inches, afraid to go any farther.

"..." Riku said nothing in response, just placed one last, final kiss to the boy's lips before breaking off, forehead resting against the other's. "Then I'll wait. I've waited long enough, and I can wait a bit longer. But Sora, I can't spend forever waiting," Riku whispered, lips pressing softly, sweetly to the boy's forehead, making Sora shudder under his touch.

"Riku. I haven't seen you for so many years... I don't think I even know you anymore... so how can you expect me to," Sora began to ramble, trying to logically point out of his position. He really was not sure if he still liked the other who he had been to afraid to say yes to. His body and heart was telling him yes, but his mind but was stopping him. You just could not reenter into someone's life like that so suddenly.

"You think I've changed?" Riku murmured, letting his lips drop down to whisper into Sora's ear. The brunette once more shuddered, blue eyes drenched with questions that had no answers. The only plausible answers would be his own, no one else's.

"I don't know..." Lately, he didn't know a lot of things. Sora held his breath as Riku placed a longing kiss on his neck, right below his ear, making him involuntarily gasp.

"All right." Riku would not push it. He let go of the other and glanced wearily around the room then towards the hat. "I'll let you figure it out," A distant and displeased shrug followed that, "But I'm going down into the basement to figure out what the hell is going on. I'm sure the answer to this is down there."

"Are you serious?" Sora stammered, heart stopping.

"Yeah. Either this is a coincidence, or something else I can barely understand. Either way, I want answers before I drive myself insane wondering," Riku grumbled, not wanting to play the games that this town was throwing at him. Riku was slowly regaining his self-control from only ten minutes ago, and it felt good.

"I'm going with you. You can use the flashlight I brought down... I should have another one in my bag in the main room." Sora advised with a sheepish smile.

"So I guess we're speaking again, huh?" Riku inquired, arching an eyebrow with utter amusement. His heart still continued its frantic beat from what he had learned, but he tried his best to hide it. Freaking out over it would solve nothing.

"It appears that way." Sora answered with a small smirk before reaching outward to snag Riku's hand. "I promise you that I'll try to figure this out..." He whispered softly, fingers curling into Riku's palm only to slide away.

And Riku knew at once that Sora was not referring to the mystery of the house, but their relationship.

"For now... we'll just start being best friends again," Sora concluded, smile leaking onto his face as he made his way to the door, "Come on." He called, grin plastering itself on his face. Hope was the only thing they had left. If they kept hope, they could figure this out and remain in one piece.

"Right." Riku rolled his eyes from Sora's immaturity, but found himself allowing the smallest of smiles to materialize on his usual truculent expression. It was a nice, and welcome change.

- --- --

"Why do these stairs have to creak so damn much?"

Sora found Riku complaining as they made their descent down the steps into the basement. Sora's left hand held tightly onto the flashlight as his right rested at his side. Riku was in front of him, a step in front actually, with the flashlight in his right, pointing down at the steps before them. They barely could make out the brown colored floor at the bottom. Sora's heart dropped just imagining what they would find in the basement with their flashlights. Perhaps not knowing would be better.

Sora's throat became dry all of a sudden as they continued walking down the steps, the light of the kitchen becoming farther and farther away until it was only a speck in the distance. Once they made their way to the bottom, Sora instinctively clung close to Riku, heart beating incredibly rapidly. Riku glanced wearily at the brunette beside him, letting his left hand seek out Sora's right one, clasping it tightly. The reassurance seemed to calm Sora.

"All right." Riku murmured, raising his flashlight to point it around the darkness. It was quite amazing how the flashlight just disappeared into the darkness that shrouded them. The light did not appear onto a wall. Instead, it created a dim line of light of nothing, making Riku's stomach churn.

"I think we should head back, Riku." Sora whispered, biting his bottom lip.

"Nah." Was the simple answer from Riku as he tugged the brunette a few steps forward alongside him. Sora meekly complied, afraid to move his flashlight around the area; frightened to discover what may lay down there. "Sora." Riku spoke softly after a few moments of walking straight from where they had come.

"Yeah?" Sora stammered back, hand trembling in Riku's as they stood in the darkness, the only light being their flashlights.

"There's nothing down here that's going to hurt you. It's just a basement. The only thing that's down here is probably some old files and maybe a dead rat or something stupid like that. Relax." Riku informed the other, tilting his head to the side.

"I really don't like the dark, Riku." Sora spoke quickly, hand grasping Riku's tightly.

"You'll be fine." Riku reassured, pulling Sora up to his chest to allow the boy to rest his head into it for a few minutes. Sora let out a sigh of relief as he closed his eyes. Just for this second he was safe and what ever lay in the basement around him was far gone. The brunette nuzzled his face into the firm expanse of Riku's chest, heart steadily beating once again. "You better?" Riku inquired.

"Yeah..." Sora answered, pulling away and smiling weakly up at Riku, even though he was uncertain if the other could see it.

"Good." Riku eased a smirk on his face as he continued to lead the pair. His flashlight was pointed low to the ground as they walked, as Sora's was pointed straight ahead.

Riku's mind kept flashing back to the day before. What was that wet thing ... dead rat maybe. He preferred not to tell Sora about it, in fear that the brunette would go into a panic. Regardless, Riku continued onward until his flashlight came upon something resting on the ground. Eyebrows knitted together in curiosity as he bent down to pick it up.

"Riku. Don't. Leave it alone," Sora warned nervously, shooting his flashlight behind them, then side to side, still being frightened.

"It's wet." Riku informed, glancing at the object. "It's a sock... how interesting." Riku shrugged, dropping it to the ground.

The hair on Sora's head prickled as he gulped, tugging on Riku's sleeve. "Riku?"

Riku ignored him, continuing to glance around. Within moments he had come across a sleeve, mostly just the cuff of one, drenched as well. "Okay, sleeve. Nothing that will help me figure out what the hell is going on." He scoffed, also throwing it to the ground.

"Riku..." Sora attempted once again, voice cracking.

"What?" Riku finally asked, turning to the side to look at the pale face of Sora.

"W-w-why is there clothing down here?" He wondered. Riku was about to answer with a 'it's probably old and belonged to Leon's family', but Sora continued before he could, "W-wet clothing ... we've been here for a few days... nothing stays wet for that long."

Riku fell silent as he stiffened. Green eyes looked into Sora's blue eyes. Suddenly that wet object from the other day seemed all the more terrifying and less like a rat. Maybe a shirt...or pants. Sora began shivering and shaking, trying to keep steady breaths.

"..." Riku glanced down to the cuff at his side on the ground once more. He picked it up once more, placing it in his hand this time and flashing the light on it directly. His heart stopped. "..."

"R-riku?" Sora knew that he didn't want to know but dared to ask. "What's wrong?..."

"We need to get out of here right now." Riku hissed, dropping the cuff to the ground and suddenly pulling Sora back the way he came in what could equal a fast walk, almost a run.

"Riku...I...what are you doing?" Sora stammered, feet hitting the floor quickly as Riku lead them. Riku did not answer, just lead them onward, leaving Sora clueless. "Riku, what's wrong?" Sora was so frightened that it was hard to even make coherent sentences. He hated the dark so much and this was making it worse.

Riku began to quickly drag Sora up the stairs beside him, almost in a sprint. Sora clamored after him until they reached the top. The silver haired teen slammed the door shut, back slamming against it as well.

"Riku?" Sora stammered, feeling a bit better now that he was on the light.

"..." Riku looked down at the ground, catching his breath.

"Riku, please!" Sora tried again, pulling on Riku's sleeve once more.

"Sora." Riku finally found his voice, staring at the brunette. "There was never any deaths in our stories right? We never killed anyone in the stories we'd tell, right?" Riku begged, making Sora blink in surprise. "We never made anyone hurt anyone, right?"

"No... it was just fun stuff. You knew I hated death so we never had anyone die," Sora replied, not understanding what Riku was going on about.

"Down there," He heaved heavily, breath frantic, "Those clothes. They were torn. Fucking ripped into pieces. With blood on them, Sora. Fresh. Not dried." His face by this point was as pale as the brunette in front of him. "Someone died down there in the last few days..."

Sora's eyes widened as he felt tears prickling painfully in them. "W-what..." He looked to the door and then to Riku. "Someone died?" Sora choked on his words.

"Somebody was murdered." Riku corrected in a gasp, looking to Sora. "That basement is huge... I'm not sure what else is down there, and I really don't want to find out anymore. There's enough rooms in this place with documents." He glanced to the door behind him. "We're getting out of this place right now."

"But there's no way..." Sora began nervously.

"Then we'll fucking walk." Riku informed, pulling Sora away from the door as he made his way over to a decaying chair. He lifted it up with his free arm, having already placed the flashlight on the counter. Riku brought it back over to the door to the basement, pushing it up against it in some hopeless attempt to prevent what ever was down there from coming up.

"We can't walk that far..." Sora answered nervously.

"We will." Riku replied, turning once more to the brunette in his grasps. "We either leave or stay here in this house." He hissed, sounding frustrated.

"We have to wait until the gas comes.." Sora began but Riku cut him off by slamming his hand into the counter.

"Dammnit Sora!" Riku hollered, making Sora wince. "There /is/ no gas! It was a lie to keep us here!"

Sora shivered, "Why would Leon, and Cloud, and Aerith lie to us?.."

"I don't know. But i know that we need to get the fuck out of here before we get in deep farther then we already are." Riku answered, panting heavily from everything that he had learned today. It was so frustrating.

"Please, Riku." Sora began, making Riku raise his gaze to stare at the boy once more, "We can lock the doors when we sleep so we're safe. There's no other way. Not until we think of something." Sora whispered before pushing his body into Riku's grasp.

"I don't want anything to happen to you," Riku bluntly whispered as his arms encircled Sora.

"It won't, I promise."


	7. Mirage

_all right, i promised lapifors and a few people i would update before saturday so hereeee. leave a review, i demand you. and um, check out my oneshots and other stories? pretty please? and also .. um friend me on livejournal! i demand you :) it's feverish-love for any of you who actually want to. i think that's is enough of my ranting. also, if you have a oneshot/drabble request, feel free to ask me. im up for it, lovelies. thankies for listening and reviewwww._

* * *

Cabalistic  
_Mirage_

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Fingers ran through locks of brown in a steady pattern. The teen's slim slumbering body rested against Riku's awake and alert chest. Knees were pulled tightly to his chest as he slept, his back to his friend. Blue eyes were tightly shut, allowing Sora to temporarily leave their confusing situation and be somewhere else; just for now. Around the brunette's waist was a sinewy arm, holding him tightly to the other. Riku's other hand, as earlier stated, was raking through the moderately coarse locks of Sora's hair. Hues of an almost emerald stared in the darkness at the locked door before landing on the male in his grasps. Lips curled into the smallest of smiles at the sight of a peaceful Sora.

It was almost five in the morning. Almost sunrise. Riku had not slept at all that night. He was surprised to see that Sora had somehow managed to get to sleep. Riku, on the other hand, had too much on his mind to do the same. One being what would happen in the morning. He would head off into town and confront Leon about this whole thing, and then spend the remainder of the day sorting through documents in the vast amount of rooms. Hopefully Sora would not worry too much about everything that had happened the previous day.

"I wish I knew what was happening," Riku murmured into the darkness, fingers massaging the sensitive scalp of Sora, making the brunette squirm in his grasps and then relax. "If I knew, maybe I could stop it before something happens." Riku concluded solemnly.

If anything at this moment, he was more hungry then tired. He hadn't eaten much the day before, mostly just a quick lunch, and then nothing. His stomach churned, begging for some food, but he ignored it. He could wait five hours or so. Right now letting Sora sleep in a fallacy. As long as the boy /thought/ he was safe, everything would be all right; even if that was not the case.

"Riku."

Riku's body stiffened when he heard his name uttered. Green eyes glanced down at the sleeping Sora, body filling with confusion. Sora was asleep... how could he?... Riku's questions were answered when he peered farther into the darkness, jade hues meeting with icy blue ones. Damn.

"What do you want?" Riku hissed in a whisper, staring down the brunette across the room. "I thought I had gotten rid of you." And none of this was making sense. Especially him.

"What an equivocation." Answered the brunette, arms folded to his chest as he watched Riku with amusement. "Do you really want him?" Lips pierced into a sinister smirk.

"Why should you care? You're just in my mind," Riku mumbled back at the other, fingers returning to stroking through Sora's hair. "I'd do anything for him. I've waited ten years to be with him. Do you really think that I don't want him?" Riku's eyes narrowed.

"Ten years is a horribly long time to want for something." Retorted the brunette, "Especially when he's so tainted and not what you desire. I mean, that is why I'm here, isn't it?"

Silence spread through the pair as Riku eased Sora out of his grasps. The silver haired teen arose to his feet, walking over to the figure in the eerie darkness. Eyes met briefly as Riku's lips fell open, trying to state a question, but found himself inaudible.

"I'm what you want, you should know that by now," The brunette explained, a playful smirk on his lips as he tugged on Riku's sleeve; just like Sora would. "When you couldn't get Sora, you made me. I'm everything he is, and everything he isn't. Sora is far too innoccent and pure to give you the things you want." By now the other had his lips hovering dangerously above Riku's neck, making Riku tense.

"You're just a damn mirage." But was he really?

"If I'm a mirage, then this town is as well." The brunette explained, hands raising in the air to toy with Riku's hair, twirling it around and around on his digits. "I'm as real as this house, Riku. You made me because you wanted more then Sora could ever give."

Riku scoffed, pushing the brunette away and turning his back. "You aren't real." He answered with a glare, even though the other could not see it. "All of this is a big misunderstanding."

"Really?" Answered the brunette, hand reaching out to wrap around Riku's waist as he rested his body up against Riku's from behind. "I don't think it is."

"You're not Sora. You're nothing like him," Riku murmured, eyes focusing on the object of his desires on the bed, and not the fake that held him close against his wishes.

"Then why did you create me, Riku? If I'm not what you want, then why did you have fantasies of Sora, but not him but me? Fantasies of running your hand all along my body, me gasping in guilty pleasure, thr-" The brunette taunted, fingers trailing along Riku's chest.

"Enough." Riku hissed, turning around to glare at the other. "I know what I want, and that's Sora." Eyes further narrowed. "I've known for over ten years, and that's not going to change. Go to hell."

"Humph..." The brunette took a step back, letting his hands fall from Riku as he walked around the room silently. "It's funny."

"What?" Riku found himself questioning in a snappy retort.

"You would rather have him, not knowing if he wants it back, and you reject me, who is everything you want, identical to him, but more, who is willing and ready. That's great, Riku." His lips curled into a grin.

"Because you're not him," Riku informed, hands clenching at his side. "The things that you aren't, they make Sora himself."

"You sound so pathetic saying those things." The brunette shrugged and eyed Sora before sneering at Riku. "It's amazing how he hasn't woken up yet."

"..." Riku glanced over at Sora, watching the boy sleep. "He has always been a heavy sleeper..." Riku began but was cut off when he noticed the malicious smirk on the other's face. "... You did something."

"Hmm." The brunette folded his arms to his chest. "What if I did? Don't you find it ironic that when I'm here, he's not or he's asleep? And when he's awake, you never come across me?"

"...What the hell are you.." Riku stammered, arching his eyebrows.

"The part of Sora that he rejected, if you will. The part that isn't him, the part that you desire and thus made real." The other explained, eying Sora before placing his hands on his hips nonchalantly. "And the part that will help you get out of here alive."

"..." Everything seemed all the more confusing now. "And how will you do that?" Riku inquired, ignoring everything else the other had said.

"You'll see." Another dark smirk before the brunette walked back over to Sora, placing a hand on the other's shoulder. "But not now." He explained, touching the boy's cold body. "Now I have to return." The brunette shot a look over his shoulder back at Riku. "If you were wondering, which I'm sure you are, he wants you too. Just too stubborn and afraid to admit it."

And with that he was gone.

"..." Riku blinked, heart stopping from the other's disappearance. Now that was confusing. "I made him up?..." Riku repeated into the stale air. He never wanted Sora to be cruel and sarcastic. Why would he? Then again, he had always imagined Sora being a bit more ... abrasive and dominant then he was. Oh how wrong was he to think such things.

"I'm going insane," Riku breathed out into the air, reaching up to caress his forehead with confusion. "I should have never followed Aerith. Damn." He sighed before making his way back to the bed.

Green eyes fell upon Sora as he stared at him. "I wish you would just tell me how you feel before that drives me insane as well." He grunted to himself, laying his body back down onto the bed, figuring he would get some rest before the sun arose.

- - - -

"Riku?"

The silver-haired teenager was awoken via the means of shaking. Hesitant eyes opened, peering at the set of blue ones that locked with his. A grumble passed the older of the two are he pushed his body upwards, so he was now resting in a sitting position. Riku rose his right fist to rub the lingering sleep from his eyes. However, the sight of Sora beside him caused him to pause abruptly. The brunette looked extremely bothered.

"Mm...something wrong?" Riku mumbled out, reality creeping on him slowly. Strands of silver fell onto Riku's face, clinging to the skin as if they were suction cups, begging and gasping for a life source.

"You're cell phone rang a few minutes ago," Sora spoke softly, nudging his head to the discarded phone near the closet floor that Riku had left there on his first day, having given up on getting any service. Riku pierced his lips together staring at it as he scrambled off the bed, literally lunging for the cellular device.

One bar.

"Fuck. What was her number?" Riku breathed out hoarsely. He was now standing by the closet, clinging to the phone with desperation. Sora glanced at him weakly, as if he wasn't telling him something. Riku did not take note of this, just busily flipped open his address book, scrolling down until he got to the name 'Naminé'.

With a quick flick of his wrist, Riku had pressed dial and he now had the phone shoved up against his ear, holding his breath. One ring. Two ring. Three ring.

"Hello, Naminé Hikaru. How may I help you?"

"Naminé!" Riku breathed out heavily, cradling the phone as if it was his own child. "Naminé," He gasped once more, relieved to hear the voice of someone outside this town.

"Riku? Where the hell have you been?... Axel is so mad that you haven't sent your report in..." Naminé replied from her line, her voice lowering as if she was not supposed to be speaking of such matters.

"Naminé. Listen to me. I'm stranded in god knows where. The town's name is Traverse Town. God, please look it up and tell me where I am and send someone to come pick me up." Riku begged, mind telling him to speak as quickly as he could.

"All right," Naminé answered. From her side of the conversation, the clicking of keys could be heard. Then the click of a mouse and the loading of a computer. Funny how those could make sounds. Riku waited, uncertain if it was all right to breathe, smile, or sigh in relief.

"You don't realize how happy I am to actually be talking to you," Riku spoke to break the awkward silence, lips folding up into the smallest smile.

"...Riku?" Naminé inquired from her end.

"Yeah?" Riku asked hopefully.

"How do you spell that?" Naminé questioned, fingers tapping the keys, creating a repetitive noise.

"I think t-r-a-v-e-r-se, it sounds right. I'm pretty sure I've seen it on something at the bar or what ever." Riku replied, trying his best to remember.

"All right," Naminé answered once more and then paused after having entered the name, "Why don't the locals let you borrow a car or something?"

"Ha... Funny story," Riku spoke apprehensively. "Any way, let's just not go there." Riku concluded dismally, leaning his forehead into his free hand.

"Riku. No results came up for Traverse Town. I'll try Trav," She offered. Riku's heart at once clenched as he stared questioningly at the floor. No. "I'm not getting anything." Naminé spoke once more, "Are you sure that's the name?" No response came from Riku as he stared at the ground, becoming dizzy all of a sudden. His grip on the phone tightened as he looked across the room out the window, everything becoming blurry.

"Forget it." Riku whispered, trying his best not to faint.

"Riku. What's going on?" Naminé wondered, disbelief etched in her voice, as if she doubted he was even lost and stranded somewhere.

"That's what I want to know..." He whispered before raising his voice, "Listen, I'll try and figure out a way to get out of here. Just do one of those phone searches. See where I called from. I've got to go. Thanks, Nami, I'll see you soon."

"No problem...? Take care and I hope you get back here before Axel goes too insane.."

"Yeah. Me too. Bye." And with that Riku hung up and tossed the phone onto the bed weakly.

"Who's she?"

Was the initial thing Sora snapped at Riku . His blue locked onto Riku, unvailing something that he had been hiding up to this moment. Riku stared at him for a long while, blinking in utter confusion. Was Sora ... jealous? A smirk rolled onto his lips as he walked over, letting his arm wrap around Sora's neck. The brunette tried to shrug the offending arm off, but in the end failed. He sighed miserably, glaring at Riku with the look of a puppy that had just been kicked, and now was hurt and seeking revenge all in the same instance.

"Does it matter, Sora?" Riku dared, pulling Sora closer to him.

The brunette tried to push away from Riku at once, completely offended. "Lemme go, Riku." Sora retorted, now attempting to wiggle free from Riku. He was about to slip down and off the bed until his body was hoisted into the air, and was relocated somewhere else. Namely Riku's lap. "...bastard." Sora whispered under his breath, now avoiding Riku's eyes.

Riku stared questioningly. Sora never cussed, at least not aloud. Aquamarine eyes looked at the brunette as his arms remained tightly around Sora's waist. "Hey, she's just my secretary." Riku informed, taking his right hand off Sora's hip to cup the teen's chin and lift it up.

"...And that makes it better?" Sora pouted, now closing his eyes so he did not have to stare directly at Riku.

"You think I'm dating her?" Riku questioned in amusement, hands sliding from Sora's chin to his cheek, allowing his thumb to brush softly against said cheek in a back and forth motion.

Sora tensed, and then melted into the touch, trying his best to remain angry. "From the way you were talking, yes." Sora answered in a pathetic pout, almost identical to a tantrum a small child would throw if they didn't get their way.

"You're jealous." Riku sneered, leaning his forehead down so it rested against Sora's. The brunette eyes at once snapped open, meeting jade ones as he parted his lips to ramble.

"I'm not jealous, you idiot!" Sora protested, hands raising to scrape at Riku's chest, but Riku was already ahead of the brunette. He let his hand fall from Sora's face to snag the flailing limb of Sora's, clasping his hand tightly in the other's, His other hand remained secure of Sora's hip, pulling the brunette closer to him. "Lemmego! I'm not jealous! You're an idiot! I just want to get out of here and why that makes me jealous I-"

Riku silenced Sora from going on by letting his lips crash onto the brunette's. This action earned a small gasp from Sora who immediately took the hint and shut up. Blue eyes snapped shut as he leaned forward into the kiss, his free arm reaching out to drape around Riku's neck, pulling him in closer. Riku smirked into said kiss, loving the feeling he got from his lips brushing against the brunette's. It was addictive, more addictive then anything he had ever had. Ten years of craving spilled into that kiss for what felt like the first time.

"Riku." Sora murmured into the kiss, his voice being drowned out by Riku's skilled lips taking Sora's in his own once again. Riku broke their embrace once again, smirking at the now panting Sora. It was just a kiss that barely lasted a minute and he was breathless... Sora was finding this hard to comprehend. "W-why did you..."

"Why did I stop?" Riku questioned, having already caught his breath. His hand fell from Sora's to brush back a few strands of hair off of Sora's face. "Because I find it unfair that you get this and I don't get my answer. Seems ... wrong." Riku replied leisurely, not really too keen on the idea of doing this when he didn't know how Sora truly felt.

"..." Sora glanced downward, licking his lips nervously. "I understand." He whispered, about to slide off Riku's lap but was stopped.

"Are you ready to give me my answer or not?" Riku inquired, lips brushing only once to Sora's before he pulled back.

"...not yet." Sora answered honestly. In his heart he knew that he never really had stopped caring about Riku. He wasn't sure if it was his overally cocky and yet courageous attitude, or his seductive smirk, or just him in general that made him keep coming back. Sora wanted to figure out what he felt about Riku before he attempted to tell the other. He figured it was better that way.

"All right." Riku answered in a mumble, allowing Sora to remove his body off his. "But hey," Riku spoke out, arising to his feet after a few seconds, "At least it took our mind off everything."

And how Sora longed for his mind to be taken off this forever.

"...So she couldn't find this town anywhere?" Sora questioned, making his way silently across the room to stare out the window, wishing he was somewhere else.

"Nope. Guess it confirms what I thought, huh?" Riku answered in an apprehensive chuckle that barely was audible. Green eyes watched Sora, picking up on the teen's anguish and desperation to be somewhere safe and real. Riku walked over to where Sora was standing and wrapped his arms around the brunette's waist, pulling him tightly to his chest,

"I just want to go home...I don't want to die." Sora whispered, eyes fixed on the window ahead, leaning back against Riku's chest.

"I know." Riku replied in a murmur. "I know you do, and so do I."

"Just... how is it possible? For this place to be real? We made it up, how can it be real?" Sora desired answers. His questions had no answers, and ù the sooner he realized that, the better off he would be in the end.

"I'm not sure." Riku let his hands massage the boy's sides, leaning his chin down onto Sora's shoulder. "But we'll figure it out. We just ... need to figure out a way to beat this and get a step ahead."

"How do we do that?" Sora muttered, arms raising up to encircle Riku's as they stood there in an awkward, backwards embrace.

"Have faith." Riku replied with a hint of amusement in his vibrating voice.

"Faith?" Sora dared, fingers gently running their way along the back of Riku's neck, completely at ease with having the other so close.

"If we stop believing that we can beat this, we won't. But if we keep faith and keep trying, we will." And if he kept believing that Sora would come around and tell him that he wanted to be with him, it would happen. Being negative would do no good for the either of them, in both situations.

"But where do we go now?" Sora inquired, blue eyes prying themselves off the window to glance lazily upwards, blue eyes meeting deep green ones.

Riku pressed a quick kiss to Sora's uplifted lips, making the shorter of the two shudder from relish, even though he tried to hide it. "The answers somewhere in this house. Has to be. I say we start lo-" Riku began but was silenced by a gunshot echoing through his ears.

Sora jolted backwards, nearly sending both teens onto the floor backwards. Riku managed to balance his body by jerking his foot behind him to sustain the added weight of Sora. Blue eyes filled with distressed as Sora squirmed out of Riku's comfortable grasps to stare out the window.

"It's that guy!" Sora stammered, voice cracking.

"Fuck. /Again/?" These things just did not happen twice.

"He has Leon and Cloud with him, Riku! What if they all want to kill me?!" Sora whispered in despair.

"Here," Riku nudged Sora in the direction of the wardrobe, "Hide in there, I'll go see what the want."

"But Riku! I don't want them to hurt you!" Sora gasped with uncertainty but Riku silenced him yet again, this time by pressing his lips roughly onto the frantic brunette's neck, receiving a gasp.

"Do what I say." Riku informed, leaving Sora's warmth and the room.

Sora stared at Riku as he left and felt his heart drop. "Please don't go..." Sora whispered into the air, tears forming in his eyes as he locked the door and scrambled into the wardrobe, hugging his arms close to his chest. This time, there was no Riku to hold him in here, no Riku to cry to, and no Riku to kiss. And it was hell. Absolute hell.

- - - - -

"Can I help you three?"

Riku made his way out of the kitchen to the trio inspecting the living room. The Xemnas guy held the gun tightly to his chest, orange eyes peering across the room at Riku. That silvery and yet purple hair stuck out from Cloud and Leon's blonde and brunette. Riku's lips twisted into a helpful smile as he made his way across the room to the them, cocking his head curiously to the side. They had their questions, and Riku certainly had his.

"There's been reports of this man in town," Leon began, removing his hat from his head as he spoke in a dark and somewhat alarming tone, "killing people. More like slaughtering." He continued on with a grimace, "We found Aerith the other day butchered at the entrance to town, and her horse was nowhere in sight. We have no idea what the guy looks like, we have reports that he is incredibly tall, perhaps taller then you," Leon nudged towards Riku before concluding, "So we wanted to check to see if he was hiding out here."

"...That's horrible." Riku found himself saying, a metal taste forming in his mouth. Aerith had been slaughtered? His stomach churned. This was some story twisted into a deadly fantasy of death and violence.

"Your friend, is he here?" Cloud questioned, watching Xemnas make his way into the kitchen. Riku watched him enter the basement with a flashlight, gun held high. He felt a bit at ease to know that the man had not gone up the stairs, to find Sora cowering in fear in a closet.

"Yeah." Riku replied, turning his attention to them, "He's upstairs." Riku paused briefly, questions in his mind, "What's down there anyhow?"

"The basement?" Leon inquired restlessly.

"Yes." Riku bit back the urge to snap sarcastically at them.

"..." Leon did not answer at first but found the answer inevitable. "It used to be a torture chamber."

Oh, well that was /great/. "Why the fuck would there be a torture chamber in here?" Riku found himself hissing angrily.

"The house was built on it before we had any idea it was there. We were digging a basement, and came across an underground room. Over half of the basement is that. The other part is new..." Leon trailed off, "But it hasn't been used for over a decade. A few years before I became sheriff."

It still didn't help the matter. "...I went down there the other day... why would there be fresh blood down there?" Riku gulped weakly.

Leon and Cloud exchanged glances slowly, and then eyed Riku, "Because it's probably just water, mold collecting down there from the last rainstorm."

"...That wasn't water." Riku returned in aggravation.

"I'm sure you're mistaken." With that Leon and Cloud separated, Leon heading down with his flashlight to accompany Xemnas, and Cloud glancing at the steps leading upwards.

"Care to help me look around?" Cloud questioned, standing at the bottom step with a somewhat friendly smile.

Maybe they knew just as much as Riku did about this... they didn't seem like liars and cold-blooded killers. Xemnas, well he was just weird, but Cloud and Leon? They seemed innocent enough. "Yeah." Riku replied, walking up the stairs alongside the blonde. "I'm going to go ahead. Sora's upstairs and I want to bring him down to help."

Cloud nodded as Riku increased his pace up the stairs, making his way to the top flight. Once there, he walked down to their room, tapping his hand on the door. "Sora?" He spoke, only to raise his voice, hopefully able to reach the brunette. "Sora. Open up."

Silence.

Click.

"Riku?" Sora whispered, glancing through the crack as he opened the door entirely. Riku was about to answer with a cocky answer, but the brunette had thrown his arms around him, exhaling loudly with relief. "I thought something happened," The other managed to get out, choking on his own words.

"I'm fine. I'd explain everything, but it's not worth it. No one's looking to kill you. They're looking for someone else," Riku let his hand slide down to capture Sora's, "So come on, we're going to help Cloud look through the house."

"The basement?" Sora squeaked nervously.

"No. Leon and Xemnas are down there." Riku informed before pulling Sora alongside him to help Cloud in his search.

* * *

dun...dun dun? 


	8. Photographs

_sort of a fillerish chapter? some is learned. the next few chapters will plunge into that horror and drama theme? maybe some romance.. hehe... oh I am evil? please forgive the typos and issues in this chapter! my computer has been acting gay and i had to rewrite this countless times.. heh? review! _

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Cabalistic  
_Photographs_

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Riku lead the weary brunette down the spiraling steps of the house. Sora glanced around nervously as the other lead him. It was as if he was afraid that whoever, or whatever was causing this was going to lunge out at him any moment. Or shoot at them for that fact. Blue eyes were drenched in a large amount of anxiety and fear as he pulled himself closer to Riku's forearm, exhaling sharply. If he died, well, he wouldn't even think about that.

"Don't worry, Cloud's not going to hurt you," Riku reassured Sora. Honestly, he didn't even know if his words were true. All he did know was that he had to have some trust, even if it was just a little, in someone other than himself and the brunette.

"Right…" Sora mumbled off a bit as they stopped at the second floor.

Cloud was leaning aimlessly against the wall, nodding when he noticed the two. Sora at once picked up on the melancholy aura around him. Something must have happened that Riku and Cloud weren't telling him…

"Are you guys ready?" Cloud inquired slowly, receiving a sharp nod from Riku.

"Ready to what?..." Sora whispered into Riku's ear, afraid to ask the blonde.

"Look for… someone who might be hiding in here." Riku whispered back, trying not to alarm Sora. He didn't want to scare the boy more than he already was.

"I'll take the rooms on the right… if you find anything off tell me," Cloud murmured, Aerith obviously on his mind as he slung the small gun back into it's holster as he entered a room. Riku walked over to a room as well, Cloud glancing at him from the entrance to his own.

Riku nodded off to Cloud as he pushed the doorknob in to enter the room. Stale light that barely illuminated the room greeted his jade eyes. The room looked just like every other one they had been into. A bed and a closet. This one sported a few different colors, more of the tan-ish hues. The silver-haired teen stepped in, beckoning Sora to follow him. The brunette hastily did as he was told, although he was still quite apprehensive about the situation. Blue eyes danced across the room, taking in everything ornamental and dysfunctional object. Sora had been zoning to the extent that when Riku closed to the room's door, Sora jolted a bit.

"Do you think we'll find anything in here?" Sora dared, swaying nervously back and forth on his heels. The teen stayed close to the door, as if frightened that if he got any closer to Riku, something may happen.

"Don't know," Riku shrugged, making his way over to the closet, only to pause, "It would help though you were actually over here helping me look." Riku informed with a slight smirk creeping onto his lips.

"Right," Sora replied, a sheepish blush spreading onto his face as he made his way over to his friend.

Riku opened the closet, immediately coughing from the dust greeting his sensitive nose. Grumbling something incoherent under his breath, Riku bent over, arms extending into the closet to surf through the contents. Sora blinked nervously, trying his best not to allow his eyes to wander over the other's body. There had to be a rule against these kind of suggestive situations.

"Sora." Riku spoke, silky voice flying up to the brunette's ears.

"Right, right," Sora answered, blushing deeper as he sat down on his knees beside Riku. Timidly, he began to look through the boxes in the closet. Blue eyes washed over the countless boxes and discarded, dusty clothing. Nothing of real interest or value. They really were supposed to be looking for whoever that murder that was around town, but instead they found themselves searching for their own answers.

Sora had been sifting through a stack of old, crumbled papers when he felt a foreign hand land on his waist. Blue eyes widened as he peered over at Riku, who was suddenly closer than he had remembered. The teen's throat became incredibly dry as his heart stopped. Fierce green eyes were fixated on the lanky boy's form by this point, as his hand remained firmly on Sora's hip.

"Y-yes?" Sora dared, expecting this to be the start of one of those … incredibly pleasing sessions. What was Riku doing to his mind?!

"Look at this," Riku informed, using his other hand to grab a photograph and handing it to the blushing boy. He took no note of the other's reddening face for all his attention was centered on the tattered picture.

"What is it?" Sora inquired, mind slowly focusing on the picture and not Riku's hand burning a hole into his side.

"It's a bit faded," Riku advised, jabbing a finger at the photograph as he spoke, "But right there … do you see that?" His voice cracked a bit.

"That's…" Sora blinked nervously and then glanced at Riku, face the palest it had ever been. Riku gave a slow nod to acknowledge and agree to Sora's suspicion. The brunette dropped the photo hastily, as if it was on fire and was causing him burns. Blue eyes filled with tears of fear and confusion. He just wanted everything to make sense. This? This wasn't making sense at all, and only adding to his confusion.

"You okay?" Riku slowly asked, cocking his head to the side when he noticed Sora's petrified state.

"I…did-d-d-n't really think we were actually … in a place we made up," Sora managed to choke out, body shivering from the realization. He felt his body numb to the core as his arms swooped upwards to hug his knees close to his chest in a shape of a ball somewhat. He felt eerily safe in such a stance.

"…You should have realized it when I found the hat," Riku murmured distractedly as he rose up and walked across the room once again, trying to sort out everything being blasted into his mind.

"…" Sora eyed Riku nervously. He should have known as well. The house name, the hat, the engraving, everything. It hurt his heart and he just should have known.

Riku eyed the door and walked over to it, eyes glimmering with determination.

"Riku, where are you going?" Sora's eyes filled with concern and distress as the other made his way hastily out of the bedroom and towards the hallway. The brunette instinctively latched onto Riku's arm, not wanting the other to go. Not now. For some reason, being here, a part of their memories, it put him at ease, and allowed his emotions to flood through his body. Flow freely.

"To figure out why Cloud and Leon haven't told us about this yet," Riku explained in an annoyed snarl. Tense emerald eyes softened a bit when he noticed an unreadable shimmer in Sora's eyes. Lips pierced together in an uncertain frown, trying his best to escape Sora's grasp before he did something he regretted. "Let me go."

"Kiss me." Sora demanded, body trembling.

Riku had about wiggled free of Sora's grasps until he froze to the spot. Eyes of an almost pure emerald flickered over to meet blue ones. Lips fell open gaping in startle-ment. Sora had never said something like that. Never.

"Riku, kiss me," Sora repeated, too nervous and petrified to do it himself.

"I can't do that," Riku found himself answering, lowering his gaze to the floor. If he kissed Sora, he knew he wouldn't be able to stop himself from taking the other, whether Sora complied or not. He couldn't stand being so tempted and teased. He didn't have that much self-control, and he knew it.

"Riku," Sora pulled himself close to the other's chest, exhaling sharply. "These past days... I've learned so much about you. You're successful...determined, proud, devilishly handsome," He blushed as he spoke, "and you haven't changed one bit since I last saw you..."

"..." Riku eyed Sora, trying to figure out where this was going.

"Riku. I-" want to be with you.

Before Sora could utter those words of risk and danger, he was cut off. Cloud had come rampaging onto scene, sporting a bleeding wound in his arm. Sora made a large eep noise, staring out into the hallway where Cloud stood. The blonde stumbled into the bedroom, back collapsing against the wall.

If only Riku would have heard what Sora wanted to say.

"Cloud?" Riku stammered in shock, falling from Sora's grasp to make his way over to the wounded man. "What happened to you?" He demanded, chest rising and falling. He was trembling again.

Sora stared in envy at the attention Cloud was getting. He knew he should feel concerned, but the only thing he felt at that moment was an undying lust and affection for Riku. He wanted Riku to kiss him all over and Cloud had interrupted. A frown was plastered on Sora's lips as he cautiously stood away from Riku and Cloud, just incase something were to happen.

"Leon... and Cloud went into the basement," He breathed harshly, hand grabbing the wound in pain, strain obvious on his face, "They called me down, when I saw them they had this mortified look on their faces. Then something, someone shot me and they grabbed them. I managed to get up here..."

For some reason Riku wasn't buying that story. However, the gunshot wound was the evidence. Sora looked iffy as well about the situation, blue eyes trailing over Cloud's wounded body. He didn't look like a liar. He looked like someone who was desperately trying to find the truth, just like them.

"I think we should go check-" Riku began but was cut short by Sora scrambling over, latching onto Riku once more.

"I'm not going down there again, Riku. I... can't." Sora whimpered, burying his face into Riku's arm in frustration and fear. "Something about down there...I just can't do it. I'm sorry."

"You can stay up here with-" Riku began again, a bit reassuring but was once again cut short.

"No! I want you to stay up here with me," Sora whispered against Riku's ear. Riku at once shivered from the contact and looked to Cloud helplessly and then to the object of his affection. "Please, Riku..." Sora murmured in desperation, not wanting to lose Riku for the second time in his short life. Even if they weren't together, he didn't want to lose him.

"They're in danger, Sora." Riku tried to reason with the brunette but Sora wouldn't comply.

"You'll get hurt as well if you go down there, Riku! We need to get out of this town. Something... we're not remembering something and it's going to kill us. I don't want to die," Sora whispered, now burying his head into Riku's chest, tears streaming from his face. If he was hiding against Riku, neither of the older males could see his tears; they would never know he was crying.

"Your friend's right," Cloud advised and then paused, "I think it would be wise to stay up here for tonight. Lock the doors until morning and see what happens.." Cloud added on, breathing slowly calming.

"But you're wounded," Riku tried to reason but Cloud shook his head.

"There's a few bandage cases down at the bar. I can make my way there and have someone there fix me up. You and your friend would best stay up here for the night. I'll be back in the morning to see if Xemnas and Leon are okay and figure out just what the hell is going on..." Cloud answered, "Can't jump to conclusions yet."

"But there's a _murderer_ in the basement!" Sora whimpered against Riku's chest, body trembling from obvious terror.

"I... don't know..." Cloud shrugged, hoping for the best, but expecting the worst. "I don't know what to think anymore. Just you two stay up here and lock the damn door."

"All right..." Riku answered as Cloud scrambled to his feet. He leaned against the door frame and made his way out the door only to be stopped by Riku speaking once more. "What if they're not okay? What if whoever shot you comes for us up here?"

"Then do what you think is best." Cloud muttered, not making much sense as he exited.

"He should have stayed with us... he's risking his life going back to town," Riku murmured once Cloud had left before locking the door and peering at Sora who was standing silently, frozen to the spot. Blue eyes were shut, blocking the world out of his eyes to the best he could.

"Sora..." Riku whispered, making his way over to the other, sympathy obvious in his voice.

"I want this to be over, Riku. Isn't there a way to make this stop?" Sora whispered into the stale air.

"I'm not sure ... but I think when we figure out who the hell shot Cloud we'll be fine." Riku informed, trying his best to stay positive. He cracked a restless smile to Sora who only sighed and leaned into Riku's chest.

Sora broke off form Riku, only to stare directly up at the other, tears clouding his eyes before speaking.

"Do you remember when someone on the islands was killed?..."

**x x x**

_Sora clung tightly to Riku's chest. Lithe arms constricted the other, making it impossible to move. Jade eyes glanced curiously at the trembling brunette in his grasps. Beautiful blue eyes were shut, to Riku's disappointment. However, having Sora in his grasps was perhaps one of the best things he could have asked for at this point of time._

"_Sora. Why are you crying?" Riku dared, tilting his head to the side._

"_M-mom said that someone got killed last night," Sora whimpered, burying his youthful head into Riku's chest. Hands flexed against his best friend's back as he stood there; shaking._

"_Someone you know?" Riku inquired, resisting the urge to run his hands through the coarse locks of Sora's brown hair._

"_N-no... but someone died, Riku." Sora whispered, voice cracking as he did such and held Riku even closer. "I hate death..."_

_Riku's heart bled for the weeping boy._

"_Are you afraid of dying?" It was a serious question that sought a serious answer._

"_Yeah..." Sora answered, blue eyes showing all the hate and despair he had ever felt. "I'm afraid of dying..." He wanted to say more but just settled on wheeping against Riku. Riku didn't care if he cried, Sora knew that._

**x x x**

It was just like now.

"Come here, Sora." Riku pulled Sora tight to his chest once more, hands landing around the other's waist. "You'll be fine, I promise." Riku uttered into the other's ear, voice barely above a whisper.

Sora shuddered in the other's grasp, feeling oddly safe there. Even if this place was somehow made from their memories, whether that be true or not... he felt safe right now. Blue eyes stared longingly at green ones, every intention and feeling in them at that moment. This time it wasn't hate and despair, this time it was need and something Riku would have never thought to be there. There was love in those eyes.

"I promised I'd never let you fall," Riku breathed, breath suddenly sultry.

Sora tensed, body reacting from the hot breath on his sensitive skin. The brunette gulped down a lump in his throat, not being able to think straight when Riku was so close. Even if they thought it had, nothing had changed between them. It was so easy to become best friends again; but even easier to fall back into this cycle of denial.

"Riku," Sora dragged Riku's attention to him once more, hands resting against Riku's chest as he spoke, "I... want you to kiss me, really badly."

"...why?" Riku requested. His heart shattered when he noticed how pleading and wanting Sora's eyes were.

"I want to be with you..." Sora somehow managed. He wouldn't say love, because he wasn't sure if it was that. But he knew he wanted to be with Riku. That was the only thing he knew for sure anymore. He wanted to be in Riku's arms, smell his scent, kiss him...

Riku nearly dropped to the floor upon hearing those six simple words. That was all it took for Riku to claim Sora's lips in his own.

Sora let out a muffled gasp upon the surprise contact. Within seconds, he was lost and allowed Riku to continuously mesh their lips together. Did this mean he was Riku's /boyfriend/? It seemed that way.. Sora blushed into the tender kisses until he felt Riku's right hand making small circles on his hips.

A vocalization of pleasure emitted from Sora, lips barely parting. Such a simple act was all Riku needed to prod his tongue longingly at the entrance to Sora's mouth. Sora was hesitant. All he had really wanted was to hold Riku and kiss him sweetly. But Riku had other things in mind ... pleasurable things...

Sora shuddered and mewed, allowing Riku and himself the pleasure.

He had never really been this far with anyone before and it felt like he was on fire. Riku's tongue lapping against his own, teasingly coaxing him was all too much. Sora pushed his body up flush against Riku's, making both of them gasp in relish.

Riku broke the heated kiss to trail sloppy kisses down the other's neck in a feverish ravish. "I want you, Sora." Riku moaned, nipping and kissing the other's already red neck.

"Riku..." Sora wasn't sure if he was even ready for what Riku was suggesting. "Can we...wait?"

Riku paused at once, eying the other. "Wait?" He repeated huskily, body fueled with lust. He was aroused, he knew that, and Sora knew that all too well. "Why do you want to... wait?"

"I don't want... my first time to be here," Sora mumbled, blue eyes shutting with shame at the thought.

"Hm..." Riku trailed off, nodding in agreenace and then paused, "But does that mean that I can still," His hands slid teasingly up Sora's shirt, making the other gasp loudly, "does this?"

"God Riku," Sora moaned, arching into the touch, creating friction between the pair. "You're gonna make me..."

"I'll stop," Riku breathed, hands falling from under Sora's shirt back to the boy's waist before gently pressing a kiss to the other. "But once we get out of this hellhole, I'm taking you."

The words made Sora shudder from the thought. He wanted it so badly. But he wouldn't allow it; not here, not now.

"R-right," Sora answered innocently, resting his head against the crook of Riku's neck, trying to bring his breathing to a steady rate once more. It seemed that Riku was trying to do the same. After several moments, the effect they had had on one another was slowly dulling away.

"Sleep with me?" Sora whispered into the now darkness in the room.

"Gladly," Riku whispered back, smiling a bit as he went to rest with Sora on the be, knownig full well that their life; their safety was hanging on the edge. But all he was concerned about was the brunette in his grasps.

Riku Karada really did have it all.

But would he be able to keep it all? Or would it all come tumbling down.

Riku's cell phone ring tone interrupted his relaxing position with Sora. Sora winced, waking up for a minute before falling back into a soft sleep. Riku reached for the cell phone, propping it up to his ear before speaking a hushed hello into it.

"Riku... I did what you told me to..."

"And?" Riku asked hopefully, never so happy to hear Naminé's voice.

"...It says location unknown. It won't even show the state, Riku. Where the hell are you?..."

Riku dropped the cell phone to the bed, completely frozen.

This really was real...

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	9. Murder

_i'd like to say thanks for all the kind reviews so far. i love you all, argh. hopefully this chapter meets up to your expectations. the action and horror will from here on pick up heavily as we go. consider yourself warned? and oh yeah, there /will/ be more yaoi in the future. heh.. and the only way to figure out where this is going is to review!_

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_Cabalistic  
_**Murder**

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It was eminently one of the most bone-chilling mornings he had ever lived through. He was certain of it. He was surpassing, over-stepping his boundaries by staying in his house any longer. The pair of them had been safe for this long, but how long would that statement remain true? Jade hues, having already opened moments before, lingered upon the slumbering form of the guileless brunette. His own arms remained clasped around the lithe boy's body, hands resting leisurely on the teen's stomach. Fingers would briefly splay themselves over the expanse, causing the other to twitch then sigh softly into the touch.

The only plausible thing to do was figure out how to get out of here; and with some means of transportation. Gas, even, would suffice. Scrunching his nose a bit in his thoughts, Riku craned his head downwards, allowing soft and moist lips to press chastely towards the other's lifted neck.

A shudder paused Sora, who clung tightly onto the pillow he was grasping. Even if the pillow as old and had worn in time, it was still comfortable and did the job. "Sora." Riku whispered soothingly, "It's morning." Even when he spoke so sweetly, as if nothing was wrong in the world, he felt, heard even, his underlying tone of depression and fear.

Something was going to happen. It was only a matter of time. The only question was when.

"Hm?.." Sora mumbled in his sleep, blue eyes cracking open. His vision blurred for the first few seconds, and then slowly focused in on the sitting body he was leaning against. Cheeks flushed a dark red as he peered upwards at the male, a warm smile cascading over both their lips.

So it wasn't a dream.

"We should get up. Might want to start figuring out a way to get out of here. Convince someone to help us." Riku informed, even if he really didn't believe what he was saying. Who would help them? The only person that even came close to being able to do such had bluntly told him that his location was unknown. So what was the point of even trying any longer.

"Nah.." Sora whispered, his arm reaching out and upwards in the morning light, encircling the other's neck, dragging his face down to his level so he could mesh their lips together messily. "I'd rather sleep.." Sora whispered, lips against the other's.

Who knew Sora could be so /damn/ affectionate in the morning? Probably didn't even realize what he was doing. Then again..

Riku returned the tender kiss, lips crashing against the other's more passionately then Sora had. The brunette pushed forwards, his free arm extending outwards to pull on Riku's shirt, forcefully dragging him closer.

"Sora." Riku spoke in between the kiss, his forehead in result bumping against the the other's. Blue eyes lazily opened, a yawn slipping from their owner's lips as well. He was so adorable... "No matter how much I'd love to stay and do this," He had to pause because Sora had reached out and kissed him once more. When he did regain his composure, he parted his lips to speak to finish his statement, "We really need to find out how to get back home."

"..." Sora didn't say anything, only sighed and closed his eyes.

For some reason, what Riku had just said bothered the other.

"What's wrong?" Riku inquired, noticing that Sora had suddenly lost that innocent and desiring gleam in his eyes. Riku bit his bottom lip, arms relocating themselves around Sora's waist, allowing the other to lay against him in complete silence. That was, until Sora dared to speak.

"Home?" He whispered, so softly that it could have been mistaken as a gust of the wind.

"Yeah. Safety, home, you know.." Riku offered, "Away from murders, weird people, death, that place." Even though he joked about it, he knew how real the danger was, and just how badly it was taking a toll on them both.

"Oh," Sora answered, eyes glancing downwards.

Riku finally understood.

"Hey," Riku's arms tightened their hold on Sora, exhaling sharply, "Don't look so down. It's not like anything will change when we get out of here. I'm not going to pretend this didn't happen or anything stupid like that." Riku reassured the brunette.

"Promise?" All he was looking for was a solid validation that this wasn't going to end abruptly. Wanted reassurance.

"Of course. Besides," His fingers trailed along the curves of the other, making a pout visible on Sora's lips, pleasure hidden behind that, "who would give up the chance to be with you?"

"Oh, shut up." Sora cracked a restless smile, shrugging out of Riku's grasp to lazily push himself off the bed. His eyes darted out the window then back to Riku for a brief moment. "Think it's safe?.. That they found him?" He wondered, arms sliding across his chest as he stood in the room, eyes glued to Riku.

"Well, we're alive, aren't we?" Retorted the older of the two, leaning his back against the wall that the bed was situated on. Even in the dim morning light, he could make out the other's form perfectly. His silhouette showed not only upon the floor, but the closet door behind him. Green eyes lingered on the creation before prying themselves back to the original. "I'm sure that everything's fine…and was just a false alarm."

Staying calm was the best choice. "I suppose," Sora gave a faint smile in response, exhaling sharply in addition. Silently, he walked across the room once again, hand lingering on the cold door knob. The frigid metal against his skin made him shudder at once, trying his best not to let sleep fall over him once more.

"Something wrong?" Riku dared, eyebrows arching from the other's peculiar behavior. Sora glanced wearily over his shoulder, splashing a smile onto his face.

"Everything's fine." He whispered. They both knew that was a fallacy, but they didn't argue the point. "Here." Riku motioned to the bed once again, fingers curling on the old and yet soft texture of the blankets.

"Sit down and wait until Cloud comes. Or Leon for that fact," He offered a hopeful look, trying his best to push away any signs of fatigue and trepidation.

"Right," Sora nodded slowly, taking a seat and allowing Riku's arms to wrap around him.

A knocking interrupted their discussion. Both pairs of luscious eyes turned to the door to where the sound was emitting. Sora glanced wearily back to Riku, wondering if he should really get off his comfortable position; namely in Riku's arms. The silver-haired teen seemed to read his eyes and nodded slightly. Riku slid his body away from Sora's to get up and walk over to the door.

"Who is it?" He questioned, hand resting against the door, as if a bit terrified to actually open it.

By this point Sora had gotten up and walked over, reaching outwards to clasp his boyfriend's hand in his own. He bit his lip, awaiting the answer as eagerly as Riku. He remained silent, afraid that if he spoke something dreadful and drastic would happen. Even if that was a fallacy.

"Cloud," Came the familiar voice followed by another.

"And Leon, and Xemnas."

Sora's body tensed as he tightened his grasp onto Riku's hand. The older of the two took note of Sora's sudden uneasy posture, understanding fully why the other was feeling so weak. Riku, against his better judgment, sought out the doorknob and gave it a quick and skillful twist, opening the door to the outside world.

The trio seemed to appear healthy; no wounds and no blood, except for the bandaged arm of Cloud from the day before. Sora hung behind Riku, not wanting to stare at the man who had been chasing him with a gun days before. The brunette was frightened to the point of no return.

"We couldn't find him," Leon sighed and shook his head, "But we searched the basement, mostly all of it, and there were no traces of life down there." A hopeful smile, "So you guys are more than safe in this house."

"That's good..." Riku spoke, exhaling sharply. So the basement wasn't such a dreaded place after all. Then again, knowing it had once been a damn /torture/ chamber remained fresh in his mind.

"Riku," Cloud was the one to speak this time, "I'm sorry if I got you worried last night ... apparently I had startled these two and they thought I was him," A dismal shrug that looked convincing enough.

"Oh," Riku exhaled again, taking in a sigh of relief. He believed him. There were no holes or lies to this story as far as he could see.

"Yeah." Cloud nodded and then peered wearily over at Sora who was cowering behind Riku. "Can we speak to you in private?" Cloud requested of Riku, motioning to himself and Leon.

Riku paused, noticing how Sora flinched at the words. "...I guess." Honestly, he really didn't want to leave Sora anywhere near the incredibly bizarre man.

"Right, follow us." Leon nodded, leading the other two to near the staircase so their conversation couldn't be heard by lingering ears. It was still in range of seeing, so Sora felt a bit more at ease.

Still, the hues of an almost /orange/ staring at him made him twitch uncomfortably.

"You're that boy..."

The hairs on Sora's neck stood up from the low voice and the words he spoke. Blue eyes glimpsed upward, locking with emotionless ones of the stranger who had caused him so much mental grief.

"Yeah..." Sora whispered uncertainly.

"Guess I really can't be giving you a ride back, eh?" His lips curled up into a forgiving, perhaps a bit too forgiving smirk. Sora blinked. And blinked again.

"I don't get it..." He mumbled, trying to sort out the details in his head, "How could... you have brought me here, and said you would give me a ride back... and have a truck that works when...Leon and Cloud said there wasn't any working form of transportation." Sora stammered, heart dropping from the words he spoke.

"Eh..." Xemnas bit his lip, glaring at the other, "They told you that?"

"Well.. sort of, they told Riku." Why was he even speaking to this man?! He had almost killed him and Riku for heaven's sake! That was no reason to have a mutual and enlightening conversation with him!

"My truck's the only working vehicle in this place," A likely story, "It's how we make sure we get enough food, supplies, that kind of thing. Did you really think we lived off the land?" Sora shrugged in response, finding the reason, "Every month I make a trip to the nearest city to get stuff." He leaned against the doorframe. "And it just so happened that you crossed my path." Another pause. "Usually by now we get a shipment of gas... but it's not looking like we're getting any anytime soon."

"Oh," Sora replied, the story seeming okay in his mind. It made sense that they had someone get the things they needed to survive.

"Question," His lips remained curled into that smirk, "Do you know anything about the murderer?" His voice was shallow and made Sora shudder. "I won't rest into I kill him with my own hands." He made a deadly motion with his hands, making Sora shrink back nervously.

"N-no..."

"I've searched this house too many times looking for him. When we got reports that strange people were in town, I came here to kill them off before they did anything. But, of course, I couldn't find the bastard and you see what happens?" Even if he sounded angry, his voice was emotionless and slightly amused. It creeped Sora out a bit.

"Was that why you were running around here with a gun?... shooting things?" Sora whimpered, hoping that the other really wasn't as murderous as he thought.

"Are you that dense?" Scoffed the other and glanced to the other three. "I wonder what they're talking about..." He seemed a bit envious.

"Don't know..." Sora spoke, curious himself as he peered onto the sight, desperately wishing to be standing next to Riku, and not this lunatic. Even if he didn't seem that much of a lunatic anymore. Everybody had motives after all.

"Doesn't that make you jealous?"

Sora cocked his head curiously and followed Xemnas' pointing finger to the scene. "What makes me jealous?"

"That they can trust him but not you. Amusing, and yet heartless."

Sora had no idea that he was being played. By who, really was the question.

**_x x x x_**

"We didn't want to alarm your friend," Leon explained, casually pointing over his shoulder to Sora and Xemnas before continuing, "So we figured if we just spoke with you it would be much more easier."

Riku gave a slow and steady nod, making sure that he glimpsed periodically over his shoulder at his boyfriend and the other man. The last thing he wanted was Sora getting hurt. Especially now, especially that they were /unspokeningly/ dating. Green eyes trailed over Sora's body for a logn while before he averted his eyes back to the two males.

"Go on..." He nodded in regards to his words, understanding for the most part.

"And we didn't want Xemnas involved more than he has to be," Cloud spoke this time, wincing a bit, "He's too jumpy, too suspicious and untrusting." He motioned to his wounded arm, "Was too quick to jump to actions in the basement. Thank god it wasn't a death."

Riku somehow understood.

"I get what you're saying... but what exactly are you telling me that you're not telling them?" He wanted to get to the point of the conversation. Perhaps this would lead them into the way of getting out of here. Just maybe, that is.

"We want you to help us..." Leon lowered his voice, just for extra measures, "tonight. We found something downstairs that we kept quiet," he bit his lip, voice even shivering from his own thoughts, "there's a door down there, old and broken, but it leads somewhere."

Riku's body went through a round of intense shivers.

"O-oh?" He found himself stammering. And he was incredibly glad that Sora wasn't involved in this.

"We want to make sure we have enough people down there," Cloud explained this time, sighing after he spoke.

"And Xemnas would be too jumpy and just end up shooting at nothing," Leon murmured, eying Cloud's wound with remorse. Riku took note of this in his mind and glimpsed at Sora and Xemnas then back to Leon and Cloud, as if trying to figure out what to do.

"Is it dangerous?" He found himself asking. Stupid question.

"I don't think it is," Leon shrugged, "No one's been down there for years, and we didn't find any other traces of life so the chances of finding anything down there wanting to cause us harm is incredibly low," He nodded to his own words, "But would you be willing to help? If we can figure out who the killer is and stop them, perhaps we might be able to focus on attempts to send you and Sora home." He sounded so honest, and Riku couldn't help but smile.

Home sounded so good.

"Fine. I'll be there." What was he getting himself into. "Tonight. Midnight sound good?" Riku inquired. "Sora should be asleep by then..." He frowned a bit at the thought of lying to the brunette.

"Sounds good. We'll come by then and wait in the kitchen." They both nodded to him and followed alongside Riku back to Sora and Xemnas.

Once there, Sora hastily inched closer to Riku, body resting against Riku's side. The brunette exhaled sharply, as if imitating a sigh of relief. Riku rolled his eyes mentally at how immature and yet adorable Sora could be.

"If anything turns up, we'll be in touch." Leon spoke to no one in particular and motioned for Cloud and Xemnas to make their way out of the house, down the stairs. The two males followed, sending their farewells to both Riku and Sora as they went.

"What did they want to talk to you about?" Sora found himself wondering after the three had disappeared down the steps, completely out of sight and hearing range.

"Just about Xemnas." Riku hated to lie, really he did. It was partially true. They had told him things in regards to Xemnas, but nothing was relevant.

"Oh." Sora smiled faintly and then paused, "What do we do now?"

"Hm..." Riku looked like he was thinking long and hard about the question before he slid an arm casually around Sora's waist. "What to do..." The brunette blushed intensely from the unexpected touch, only to be shocked more by lips clashing against his neck, making him shiver from that instant, intense relish.

"How about we...rest?" Sora suggested, a bit short of breath, and really not wanting to speak.

"That's a possibility," Riku replied, lips trailing slowly, teasingly up Sora's neck. In effect to this, Sora's arms had wound themselves around his neck, blue eyes shut. Doing this felt so right, and he couldn't get it off his mind.

"Riku?..." Sora questioned, leaning his head away from the other's touches, as if to give Riku more room.

Riku smirked, taking this as a sign to continue. Lips gingerly pecked and even more cautiously sucked in a bit of tender flesh of the other's neck. Sora shivered, gasp falling from his lips. Lips rolled that piece of skin back and forth, tongue flicking out once or twice, adding to it. He finished by lightly nipping at it and then glimpsed up at Sora who was trembling from yearning.

"Yeah?"

Sora had forgotten that he had even asked a question. "Oh." That was right, he needed to answer Riku, "..." He blushed a bit at the question he wanted to ask.

"Something wrong?" Riku whispered, this time just taking the other in his arms, holding his close to him.

"I just wanted to know... if you consider ..." His body was shaking, half from being so close after so long, and half from nerves, "...me your boyfriend."

The question was out there.

"No shit," Riku sneered with a gentle chuckle, kissing the brunette's forehead. Sora blushed from how naive he was, and how easily he was embarrassed from the other's action. He was new to this, and he figured Riku knew that.

"I say we rest." Sora suggested, hand seeking out Riku's. Once accomplished, he interlaced their fingers together and lead them into the bedroom, intent on sleeping.

Just this once, Riku would allow it without question. Soon enough they'd be out of here and he could savor this a lot more. Soon.

**_x x x x_**

He had somehow managed to escape the safety of his room, and the safety of the shirtless brunette that had been slumbering in his grasps. It tore at him to break himself away from such a perfect situation, but he just had to. He wanted answers, and wanted a way out of here, so he forced himself into this.

Shoes clunked silently against the old floorboards of the house as he made his descend down the steps. He had been down them so many times that they were starting to become burned in his mind. Questions, also, burned there. When would he ask Leon and Cloud about this? About this reality that had been caused by a dream. Did they know? Or were they as clueless as them about this. This was so confusing, and all Riku sought were answers.

Arriving at the kitchen, Riku tugged his jacket tighter around his body. Already waiting there was Leon and Cloud, holding two flashlights. The third one was resting on the counter. Without a word, Riku grabbed it and nodded to show the others he was ready.

Without even speaking a word, they opened the door to the basement and made their way down there. Leon lead, Riku in the middle (just because he felt a bit safer that way), and Cloud following. They made sure to leave the door to the kitchen open, just incase. Riku in his mind denied this action, thinking that if the murder was down here, they had just given him access to Sora sleeping upstairs.

Once having entered the actual basement, Leon paused and turned around to the other two. "Stay close, both of you. It's like a maze down here..." Leon muttered, and paused. "Keep your flashlights at all times pointed at the person in front of you. If you hear anything, tell me and we'll stop."

"Right." Riku replied and Cloud nodded.

"Then here we go," Leon murmured and lead them further in.

It was so dark, dreary, and frightening that Riku couldn't help but want Sora by his side, clinging to him and buryign his head into his chest from fear. Instead, he was holding a cold flashlight and following the sheriff and the bartender. It was such a weird turn of events.

"Do you think we'll find anything?" Riku whispered to Cloud was now walking beside him, instead of in back. Leon was a few feet ahead, periodically flashing his flashlight in different directions to get a bearing on where he was.

"Perhaps," Cloud suggested as his eyes turned to Leon, "He's determined to find out who killed Aerith...and so am I. He being the sheriff... he thinks it was his fault that she died," Cloud explained in a hushed whisper.

"I can understand that." Riku felt for the brunette and the blonde. Perhaps he had judged them a bit too fast. All of them. Maybe his only fear was this basement. Maybe everything wasn't so terrifying after all.

"Cloud. Riku."

Their conversation was cut short after what seemed like ten minutes of walking in one general direction. The blonde and the silver-haired teen paused as Leon flashed his flashlight ahead, light grazing over a broken door along a wall. Riku shuddered, fear returning. It swam through his veins, making his body intensely cold.

"Have you... gone beyond on there yet?" Riku wondered, trying to hide his fear by coughing.

"No." Cloud admitted and then watched as Leon reached outward to slowly pry at the door.

**_x x x x_**

He awoke, utterly startled. He was sweating and shaking. Arms reached out desperatley in the darkness to cling to Riku, hold him close and force himself back into peaceful dreams. However, the only thing that his arms grabbed was air. Sora's eyes snapped open, staring at the empty room. A chill ran down his back when he realized that Riku had lied... Cloud, Leon, and him were doing something.

Scrambling out of bed, Sora made his way out of the bedroom. He knew where they were. One possible place... the place of all his fears for some reas on; the basement.

**_x x x x_**

"It's so fucking dark in here." Riku noted as they stepped into the room connecting to the door.

Leon paused, breathing deeply. It seemed that even the brunette was a bit frightened by the idea of going somewhere he hadn't been before. He closed his eyes briefly before shining his light in different directions.

"...shackles." Cloud murmured in regards to the items that were being touched by the light. "This room's the original chamber I guess."

This didn't make Riku feel /any/ better.

"Something's not right..." Leon muttered, taking a step deeper in. "...That smell."

"What smell?" Cloud answered, stepping closer to Leon as well, as if intimated by the darkness himself.

Riku hugged his arms tightly to his chest. By now he was afraid that something would lunge out of the darkness and swallow him alive or kill him. The best thing to do was stick extremely close to Leon and Cloud. Of course, they weren't showing any signs of bravery whatsoever. "What...smell?" Riku repeated, echoing Cloud.

"That," Leon spoke, taking in a deep breath.

"I don't smell anything, Leon." Cloud admitted in a hushed whisper.

"...It's a bit musky," Riku noted, not really finding anything out of the ordinary.

"No, it's like ... like something rotting." Leon corrected, biting his lip as he spoke.

"..Rotting?" Riku's eyes widened as he felt his stomach churn. "What do you mean rotting?" The scent finally registered in his nose as he was literally scrambling his hand up there to block his noise form the pungent smell.

"Fuck," Cloud grumbled, noticing it as well the closer they got.

"I think we should head back..." Riku spoke in a stammer, wanting nothing more than to go back upstairs.

"...Someone has used this recently..." Leon explained, body shivering as he glanced around the chamber. "Really recently."

"I really think we should go upstairs." Riku suggested once more, gripping his flashlight.

"..." Leon paused and glanced down at ripped shreds of clothing scattered on the floor. The pattern was bizarre, as if what had ever ripped them was in a hurry. And it was uneven... it was hard to explain but it only added to Leon's nerves. "What the hell did this?"

"There's blood on it," Cloud noted, eyes washing over the clothing on the floor.

"...I told you," Riku muttered, trying to hurry this up so he could go back upstairs.

"I think we should get out of here," Leon finally suggested, something suddenely flashing in his eyes. Cloud nor Riku understood what it was, but they realized it was something when the brunette was literally racing out of the room, motioning for them to hurry.

Riku's heart beat erratically as they went, running back the way they came. All he could think about was what Leon saw that made him so terrified so suddenly. If he let his imagination wander, it seemed even more frightening. His stomach churned once again, feeling as if he was going to be sick within any moment. He needed out of this town right now.

They were nearing the bottom of the stairs when Riku had banged into something. An incredibly boisterous holler emitted from Riku as he fell backwards.

"What the fuck was that?!" Cloud spoke, pausing and flashing his light back to where Riku was on the ground. He turned the light a bit more ahead to glimpse at the trembling and almost tearful expression of Sora.

"S-s-sora?!" Riku stammered, scrambling to his feet and at once slinging his arms around the other. Without warning, Riku began to drag the other up the stairs after the others.

The door slammed shut once they were all safely up.

Sora buried his face against Riku's chest, sobbing silently into it, muttering over and over for him to never do that again to him. Blue eyes contained countless tears, and it hurt Riku to no return to see beautiful Sora in such a condition.

"What we're dealing with..." Leon finally spoke in an unsteady breathe, "...is killing people down there...and ripping their bodies to shreds. A fucking madman." It was really one of the only times Riku had heard the cool-headed sheriff curse. "And we need to figure it out tomorrow or else... I'm afraid something worse will happen."

"Riku...what is going on..." Sora whispered into the stale air.

Never before had he been so confused.


	10. Messages

**VERY IMPORTANT! I have a quick note… my mother, friends, and few random people have convinced me to edit and revise Caller Number Nine with original characters (hetero … sadly) and aim to get it published. I'd love it if you guys had some support for me? I'd change a few things around, but it'd be essentially the same thing. If I do ever get it out there, I beg you to buy it and boast about how you know me. Haha… dreams.**

_Anyway, this chapter took me awhile to write, and I am dreadfully sorry. I blame procrastination and sleeping! Hopefully this is enough horror and drama to satisfy you guys … for now ;D ( aka until next time)_

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_**Cabalistic  
**Messages_

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_All was silent throughout the kitchen. No one dared to speak another word for what felt, and was, ten minutes. Blue eyes were drenched in fear as he peered weakly from Riku, then to Leon, and finally Cloud. All three males shared the same stoic look, but within them laid an underlying amount of terror. Even though Riku didn't really show as much as the pair of older males, Sora could just /tell/. Behind those perfect, jade eyes was a wave of fear. Whether it was fear for himself, or for Sora, Sora wasn't quite sure. He preferred not asking. What had happened down there was enough to make Riku /scream/. Riku never did that ... In fact, Riku never showed many emotions at all... crying, screaming, laughing. But lately he was doing a lot of all of those. It was strange, and an oddly welcomed change. 

"Is anyone going to tell me what happened?" Sora found himself asking weakly. He had finally pried his lithe body off Riku's, breath returning to its normal, steady rate. However, he kept his hand tightly interlaced with the taller male's, just incase. He needed that reassurance that he was still there; both physically and mentally.

"Nothing." Came the retort from Leon, running a hand shakily through his locks of brown. Cloud, who was still standing beside him, seemed a bit tranquil, even if it was just in the least.

"Don't lie. You can't expect me to believe that-" Sora began in a obstinate voice, determined to prove Leon and Cloud wrong. However, he was soon cut short.

"Sora, drop it." Riku grumbled, biting his bottom lip and giving the brunette's hand that was still locked tightly within his own, a gentle squeeze.

"But Riku!" Sora protested, eyes pleading to know the truth.

Riku would have told him; really he would have, if he had known himself. And that knowledge was absence. So how could he possibly tell Sora what was happening if he didn't know himself/

"Drop it," Riku answered resolutely, refusing to even begin to approach the matter of answering Sora.

"..." Sora gave a dejected look to the three before sighing miserably and turning his attention away from the males. Without another word, he let his hand slip from its comfortable position within Riku's. The green-eyed male gave a slightly dazed look at the brunette, uncertain as why he did such. /His/ answer came when Sora stalked out of the kitchen, clamoring up the stairs; purposely making his feet hit the stairs as loudly as he could.

"What'd I do?" Riku grumbled bitterly, eyes fixating themselves onto Leon.

"Nothing." Leon replied, shrugging his shoulders before looking to cloud, "We should reallybe heading back to town. It's late ..." Suggested the brunette, to which he received a  
steadfast nod from the blonde.

"Nu-uh," Riku answered harshly, eyes narrowing in addition, "You are not leaving me and Sora here another night. I don't care if we have to sleep /outside/, we're not staying here." It was more like a hiss than anything else.

"Riku. We've told you, whoever... /whatever/ is doing this isn't here." Leon offered to which he was cut off, They were doing that a lot lately.

"Damnit, stop with that," Riku growled. Perhaps it was the look that Sora gave him or the fact that there was actually something /dark/ taking place, that had spurred and sent him spiraling into such a bad mood. What ever the reason was, it wasn't a pretty sight, and he wasn't going to snap out of this for quite some time. "If you're going to lie to anyone, lie to Sora to protect him. Not me." Riku glared darkly. "I /deserve/ to know what's happening."

"We don't know." Cloud answered truthfully.

"Then what did you see down there?" Riku demanded, eyes shooting to Leon.

"Nothing. I just felt like someone was watching us," Leon answered, trying his best to make the irritable teen believe him. Sadly, he was none of that.

"What ever," Riku snapped, glancing wearily at the two, "But I'm locking our doors." He added, "If I /have/ to spend another night here, I mean."

"There's no other place for the both of you to go." Leon offered and Riku sighed, passing his way out of the kitchen alongside the males, towards the front door.

"I get it." Riku bit his bottom lip, "All I want is to go home, you can understand that, right?" He whispered softly, eyebrows knitting into a look of desperation and longing to be someplace safe with the timid brunette who was now beyond angry.

"I understand that, really I do." Leon replied dismally before making his way out of the house entirely. Cloud followed quickly, not really in the mood to argue any further with Riku.

Riku sighed and made his way upstairs. Hopefully Sora wasn't too angry.

_**x x x**_

The moonlight greeted Sora's skin as he entered the room, closing it behind him with a gentle clicking noise. Blue eyes swept around the room, that by now was more than familiar. With a disdainful sigh, the brunette tossed his light body onto the bed, snatching the pillow and snuggling it to his body. If it hadn't been for his uncomfortable position, he would have never felt the locket pocking in his pocket, reminding him that it was still there. Sleepy blue eyes glanced around the darkness as he shifted his position to dip his hand into said pocket and grab it.

Fingers graced cold metal, making him shiver at once. Slowly, he brought it to his eyes, fiddling with the lock once again. Still nothing. Grumbling angrily, he began to dig his fingernail into the small crevice where the locket opened, desperately scrambling to open it. To his /great/ surprise, the locket came flying open, and the contents landed on the bed by his foot.

Cautiously, Sora sat up from his laying position to snatch the small object that had rested inside. It resembled a key, but was incredibly small. Biting his lip from confusion, he continued to stare at the key, as if he thought it was really going to give him the answer.

Before he had to time to dwell on what in the world it could be for, and why someone would even remotely want to put a key into a locket, Riku slipped into the room.

Eyes once again met as Sora slinked back against the bed, pretending to ignore Riku. He really even forgot why he was doing such. Was it just because Riku would not tell him what was going on? It seemed like a childish idea, but the concept that something /bad/ was happening, and knowing could mean the difference between life and death, it seemed a lot more crucial and important. Sora turned his back to the taller teen who was now standing beside the bed.

"Sora?" Riku asked softly into the stale air, extending his hand to run idly through Sora's hair.

"Hmm?" Sora answered in a yawn, pretending to sound uninterested and as annoyed as he possibly could. It was hard to conjure up anger on one's whim. At least, for Sora it was.

"Don't do that," Riku grumbled, shifting his body onto the bed, letting his arms encircle the other in the process. "Don't let whatever's going on mess with us." He grumbled, frowning as Sora stiffened in his grasp.

"I would really like to know what's happening," Sora snapped, not being able to deny how /good/ it felt to be touched by something that was real.

"I'd tell you if I knew myself." Riku retorted, fingers resorting to playing at the nape of the boy's neck. "Really, I would…" He added on, desperation seeping through. He was more complex then the brunette dared to learn.

"Nn.. Don't do that," Sora repeated, but had his own reason. Riku's nimble, skilled fingers tickling his neck was hard to ignore. And he was supposed to be mad at the other, but yet was slipping into something the opposite of anger.

"Huh?" Riku blinked slowly then realized what the other meant. "Oh. You mean this?" He sneered, fingers trailing from the boy's nap, down the back of his shirt to fleetingly dance across Sora's back.

"Yes! _That_!" Sora whimpered, sitting up as Riku's hand retreated. "That's not fair!" He pouted, anger being washed away in an instance.

"Oh, but you know you like it," Riku teased. In his mind the only way to keep his sanity was to be constantly reminded of what he had, and what he wanted. And when what you wanted and have wanted for so long is sitting right in front of you, it's hard to keep your mind focused on anything but that.

"Shut up…" Sora continued in his pouty voice, watching Riku's hand raise up to press softly against the boy's reddened cheek. "Riku…" Sora warned, eyebrows raising just as slowly as he said the teen's name.

"Yes?" He asked, elongating the word as he pressed his forehead flush against Sora's.

"You know we can't…" Sora whispered, room suddenly becoming a lot warmer than it really was. Staring into Riku's eyes always gave him that familiar dizzying feeling. It reminded him of spinning around in circles for hours then falling, and your world kept spinning.

"Is that what you're thinking?" The grin on Riku's face grew as he lowered his face, tilting it just a bit downward to press a chaste kiss onto the brunette's cheek.

"N-no." Sora countered, trying to wiggle away from the other.

"Fine," Riku smirked and let his hand fall from the other's face as he turned away. "Then let's go to sleep." And with that he laid down, smirk plastered on his face.

"Tease." Sora frowned, slowly laying down beside the other teen and pressing his head to his boyfriend's chest with a sigh. Within moments, their hands were interlaced, and he felt his mind drifting off into sleep. He was a long, hectic, insane day. And even when he felt his mind falling into sleep, he could feel Riku's smile on him, and it made sleep all the more relaxing.

That was … until he had that dream an hour later …

_**x x x**_

Sora woke up in a panic. Eyes looked frantically around the dark room as lines of sweat poured from his face. His body was numb, and he could barely move. It was like his limbs were still asleep, suspended in time maybe, but his mind was alert. His throat was dry, and his heart beat faster and faster by the second. Riku, who was still in a deep sleep beside him, looked as peaceful as ever, and it was the only reassurance to Sora that everything was as okay as it could be. Riku wasn't dead. Riku hadn't died in the basement.

But Sora's mind was /screaming/ at him. It was hinting at him that if he didn't do something, and do it fast, he'd end up losing his first, real boyfriend to death itself. He couldn't let that happen, just because Riku was curious.

Gulping painfully, Sora removed the key from his pocket, staring at it dismally. It had to be for down there, it just had to be. His throat became drier, making it difficult to breathe. His mind kick-started into thoughts as he found himself arising off the bed and making his way across the room. He exited, only tossing Riku a frightened glance as he did such.

He cared too much to let any more harm come to Riku.

Carefully, the brunette made his descent downward to the basement, heart literally in his throat. His whole body was trembling, and it was main known when he reached for the flashlight, holding it only a matter of six seconds before dropping it. Cursing under his breath, Sora recollected the flashlight and glanced at the closed door.

"Well… here goes nothing…" He shrugged, opening the creaky door, swallowing his fear, and making his way down.

Why was he doing this again? That's right … he wanted to figure out what was happening and solve it, and not let Riku do it. Riku would end up getting himself recklessly killed; something Sora would never be able to live with. They must have found something down here … must have to made Riku scream in fright. He had to step up the plate, no matter how hare-brained the idea was.

Sora timidly flashed the light in all directions once at the landing. The eerie darkness shrouded him once again, making him feel nauseous and in need of comforting arms. This time, those arms did not come, and he had no words of reassurance from Riku. This time, all he had was that fading flashlight in his right hand.

"…" Sora bit back the urge to whimper out in fear and continued in the general north direction, to where he had seen ( or at least remembered ) Riku and the others piling out from. They must have found something, and it was unsettling to image what it was.

His feet made hollow noises against the cold ground as he hugged his left arm tightly to his chest. The flashlight was his only friend down here. And the silence. The silence told him that nothing was moving other than him, and nothing was growling or breathing. It made him relax, just a little bit at least, as he continued on, body still going through endless trembles.

He neared the room that Leon had found, only to blink in curiosity. So they had found himself. Anger and regret filled him at once. Shuffling into his pocket with his left hand, Sora resurfaced with the miniscule key, holding it delicately. What ever this was for, it had to be down here; he just had that strong feeling, and it frightened him.

Gulping, for what felt like the millionth time since he had gotten here, Sora made his way into the musky room. His feet graced muddy earth as his ears picked up the distant dripping of water. So perhaps it wasn't blood after all and just water. Just a trick of the light, that was all. He shook his head, telling himself that must be it, and he shined the light around.

The light barely graced the rusty shackles that Leon had been so disturbed about. His stomach sank, then leveled out when he remembered that this had once /been/ a torture chamber, but was no longer. The rust was a strong reminder of that. Wearily, Sora made his approach to the rusty metal cuffs, peering over his shoulder periodically to make sure no one was around him. Not like anyone would be.

Hands graced the metal, rust coming off them onto his fingers. Biting back a gag of disgust, Sora dropped the shackles only to sigh. Key … lock. Figures.

"Why would someone have a key in their locket to handcuffs?..." Sora whispered faintly, that familiar lump reforming in his throat. Something was definitely up; and he wanted to know what it was before it happened.

However, before he had time to process that thought, the sight of bloody shackles beside the rusty ones made his mind go numb, as he overdramatically fell to the floor; mind spinning around and around. If there was something Sora hated, it was blood. It always made him feel sick … and in this situation, due to where it was and what it was on, made the poor boy faint.

_**x x x**_

Riku had been more perceptive then Sora had given him credit for. Minutes after Sora had left the comfortable room, Riku had sprung awake. He had wasted no time scrambling out of the house in a frenzy to get Cloud. He knew going down to get the brunette would be useless. The basement was too large to cover by oneself, and he would just end up getting lost down there. Even though he wanted to run down and find Sora, he had to think logically.

So by the time that the three had actually made their way to the room where Sora had fainted from the atrocious sight… it was to someone's great surprise.

Riku stared weakly into the room. Cloud had gone to look around the rest of the basement, figuring that Sora wouldn't have discovered the old room. But to Riku's regret, he had and was laying icily on the ground, clutching the now dead flashlight with fear.

"Sora…" Riku whispered in a sigh, bending over to clasp his hand with the brunette's, feeling the other's steady pulse. "…what were you thinking?" He mumbled, trying his best to block out the fear that was coursing through his own veins.

"What do you /think/ he was thinking?" Came the dignified and utterly annoyed voice.

By now, Riku was so used to it; he did not flinch or jump from shock, "I'm thinking that he wanted to know what happened down here…" Riku replied, finger tracing the palm of the fainted Sora, wishing the other to awake so the throbbing voice would leave.

"If only you knew how his mind worked," Sneered the other, clasping his cold hand onto Riku's shoulder.

"Don't touch me," Riku growled, hating how transparent and icy the hand felt on his shoulder. "Don't ever touch me."

"Hrmph." Growled the other in response, tightening his grasp on the male's shoulder, "Why him? Not me? I don't see a difference… like I said, you wouldn't have /made/ me if you thought he was good enough for you," Taunted the brunette.

"I was seven." Riku protested, eyes narrowing at the other, trying to shrug off the hand.

"Children don't lie." Teased the brunette, placing a tainted kiss to Riku's neck, making the other shudder.

"Well… I did." Riku retorted, eyebrows arching in protest as he swatted away the boy.

"No. But you want to believe that," Sneered the other before arising from his crouching position to toy aimlessly with the shackles. "You know, Riku… I don't see what's so bad about getting together with me. Unlike him, I'd let you…" He began but Riku cut him off.

"Would you /stop/ with that?" He nearly snapped.

"…Riku," He sighed and then narrowed his eyes, "I'm tired of trying to convince you, maybe I should try a different approach?" He suggested, eyebrows arching as he walked over to Riku who was still holding onto the fainted body of Sora.

"Come near me, or Sora, and I'll kill you." Riku seethed, shaking his fist angrily, at least the one that wasn't clasped with Sora's hand.

He wasn't expecting to be shoved away from Sora, against the weak wall behind him. Arms were locked above his head as teasing and icy lips met his. Hands, however, began to press tightly against Riku's on the wall, fingernails digging into his soft wrists. A muffled whimper escaped him, covered by the other's lips on his own. He tried to kick the other away but felt weak and submissive. Unlike Sora/he/ was a lot strong and more abrasive. Just like he had imagined he would be.

"Get off me…" Riku managed in a muffled gasp, eyes meeting faded blue ones in the darkness.

"I'll pass," Sneered the other, this time before digging his nails tightly into the soft flesh of Riku's wrist. "Stop…" He practically hissed, feeling dizzy.

"Oh, I'm not doing anything really." The other answered, grip on Riku as tight as ever, "At least, not for now. This isn't my job… I'm just here to get you down here, you know?" He shrugged with a smile and then paused.

"What the hell do you mean?" Riku stammered and watched as the brunette rose one of his hands to point at the wall. Slowly, very slowly, writing letters in a glowing substance. It was like blood, but it shimmered with this vicious light.

Upon the wall was written Traverse Town.

Riku squinted at the letters, watching them twist, turn, and change their position. Until one message with an acronym was written, glowing brightly.

Wont Serve

"Won't serve what?" Riku whispered faintly, looking to the other, watching the remaining letters of the town join with the name of the house. His stomach dropped.

Won't Serve Sora Rait.

Things were slowly making sense. Too bad he didn't realize things would be getting a lot more dangerous and confusing within the next few moments, especially when he noticed that Sora's body was no longer on the ground, but merged with the smirking mirage hovering over him.

He was lost.


	11. Finished Puzzle

_no, the ending was not rushed. this was what i wanted, and therefore here's the end product. all loose ends are tied up, promise. re-read carefully if something doesn't fit. it should. glad you all enjoyed the story? Yes, horror in this chapter and angst and all that good stuff. Dramatic ending? I think so!_

_**warning**: you may /hate/ me for the ending..._

* * *

**Cabalistic  
**_Finished Puzzle_

**

* * *

**

He tried desperately to grip onto reality, but it was slowly fading. Everything was getting so cold, so fast. Even the warmth in his heart from what he could only suspect was love, could not be felt. His blue eyes lidded, and he felt limp. Entirely useless; weak. And yet he could see everything that was going on. He could /see/, and oh god he could /feel/ the terror emitting from Riku, and drenched in the taller's eyes. He could feel his hands, lifted by strings of a master other than himself, lashing out at the other.

In his head he screamed in anguish, guilt wrenching at his heart in the cold. He couldn't feel his heart being torn to shreds because hey, the cold had already numbed him to begin with. All he could feel was that earth shattering cold … and the feeling of regret.

_God, Riku. I'm so sorry … _

**_x x x_**

Riku's eyes weakly snapped open once again. His mind was clouded a bit as he stared around the dim room, trying to make sense of the blurred shapes. His whole body felt weak and bruised, like someone had taken a hot rod of steel and whacked him with it. He rose his right arm, wincing from the pain, only to watch the arm come flying back against his side. He hissed from the reaction of the metal chained from the wall to his wrists. But that was only half of it. Upon his feet was a fetter, and he only could vaguely guess how badly the metal was cutting into the tender flesh of his ankle. God, he didn't want to think abut that.

He felt the stinging sensation of an infected scrape on his right cheek, making his body feeling that much more in pain. Teeth gritted together in some pathetic attempt to keep his cool and figure out just what was going on. The last thing he remembered was the cold and almost lifeless body of Sora and-

"Sora?" He cried out in a shaky voice.

The strain of his own voice frightened him. He sounded different, like a pathetic caged animal begging to be released. He didn't speak after that, disgusted by his own weakness. His enervated body clung lifelessly to the dirty, decaying wall behind him, as if to prove that even in its decomposing state, it was in fact stronger than him.

"Riku?" Came the challenging voice. It seemed so damn far away that Riku had to crane his neck forward to figure out where the speaker was. When he did realize who it was, and where they were, he wished he would have never looked.

A lanky hand reached outward to trail across the teen's now roughened cheek, tracing the scratches and slowly appearing scars. A look of utter repugnance spread through Riku as he snapped his face to the side, refusing to be touched by the monstrosity that mocked the brunette who he was willing to /die/ for.

"Get away from me," Riku scoffed, this time finding just the smallest fragment of strength left.

Something incomprehensible passed through the brunette's lips as he paused, staring at the pools of green hatred. Something deep down in the figment of the teen clicked and churned, making the mirage's mask slip, revealing a weakened and sobbing Sora. The boy stood numbly on the cold, dark ground, staring at Riku through the musky darkness. Riku's breaths were heavy, unaware of the fact that Sora had his consciousness, and that he was indeed crying.

"R-r-riku?" Sora stammered, voice cracking on the first syllable.

"Sora?..." Riku countered, wanting to reach out and confirm that it was indeed the broken down Sora, but couldn't. Dejected eyes glimpsed away from pure blue eyes, incapable of staring into them any longer.

"Riku, oh g-god," Sora stammered, reaching out whilst trembling, holding Riku's warm body close to his own. Even if the other was bounded with rusty shackles, he could still hold him. After a moment of just having his arms tightly knitted around Riku's did, Sora had managed to dig through his jacket pocket for the small key. His fumbled with it, undoing the locks of the shackles and allowing Riku to fall into his arms.

Sora almost collapsed from Riku's weight, but felt better when the comforting arms of the other wrapped around him, shifting his own weight on both their knees. "Sora," Riku whispered in a slur, fingers raking through the other's hair sweetly as he leaned his chin into the brunette's shoulder, drained of all energy.

"I'm s-s-so sorry, Riku." Sora stammered, unable to process the realization that his other being, his other form, what ever /it/ was, had done this to Riku. And he had been forced to watch it all. God, it made the boy sick.

The scars and bleeding wounds on Riku's body were unmistakable, and it just made Sora shiver and hold the limp teen closer.

_**x x x**_

"_You see … those words, Riku. They mean a lot." His hands came harshly down onto the tender flesh of the silver-haired teen, striking like fiery darts. The wounds that appeared there caused the other to yelp in a series of pants of pain. His eyes rolled shut, unable to look his attacker straight in the eye. Knowing it was the same face of the one he loved. It just hurt way too much to do that. "Mostly that no matter how hard Sora tries, I'm never going to listen to him and what he wants. He can't suppress his own darkness. This town won't abide by you and Sora. So stop acting like it."_

_Riku winced._

"_You do know I lied to you earlier, Riku."_

"_I know," Riku breathed back, the fiery inflictions coming once again, making him want to rip out his heart, just so he could stop the pain. If it wasn't Sora doing this to him, maybe he would have been able to withstand it. Maybe…_

"_It wasn't you entirely that made me…"_

"_I know …" The other breathed back, feeling the fire of pain spiraling up his spine, making him arch in pain as hot tears prickled at the corner of his eyes. They fell, unable to remain enclosed. It just hurt too much._

"_You know it was Sora's fear. Oh you and him being killed when he was younger. He had such an imaginative mind … to think of something so frightening and deadly …. That the only way to not be afraid of it entirely was to make it look like himself. Stupid boy…"_

"_Please … don't do this," Riku wasn't one for begging, really he wasn't, but god it just hurt so much._

"_I just wanted you. He didn't deserve you. He was too selfish, naïve, and innocent for you." Seethed the other, the fire continuing. It wasn't real fire, no, but it sure did feel like it. The small embers dancing their scorching dance on his sensitive arms and body._

"_I just want Sora…" Riku whimpered into the air, silver hair falling down, sticking to the bleeding wounds._

"_You and him built this place. You both had a part in it. Subconsciously and consciously. You both won't own up to the fact that you /did/ imagine the torturing and the deaths. But you'll admit to the good memories with old Leon and Cloud. The photos, the dinners, everything. But you won't own up to the lives you both have slaughtered. Xemnas brought Sora here. We all did. We want you both dead. Only way /we/ can be alive, you know? You built this town, and you'll die in it."_

"_God, stop …" He didn't want to hear anymore. He wanted to go home._

"_You both disgust me… It makes me sick to think I'm part of Sora…" Mumbled the other in utter distaste. _

"_I just want to go home …"_

"_Sometimes you get what you wish for, and its not what you expected." Sneered the other, fingers digging against the other's skin once again in a twisted sort of fairy tale._

_He never wanted this._

_He was slipping away._

_**x x x**_

"Tell me… Riku, why are we here."

Sora leaned his head against Riku's chest, no longer frightened by the darkness. His hand was laced tightly in the other's, blood transferring onto his fingers from the wounds of his boyfriend, remaining in their cold position in the basement. All that Sora needed was the pulse of the other and the other's hot breath on his neck to reassure him that everything was still okay. Okay to what degree, he wasn't sure. But it didn't really matter.

"We made this place, Sora." Riku breathed out, bombarded by the sickening thoughts he had blocked out of his mind only to return in a sickening parade. "And the only way for it to be real … for this town and everything in it to be really real, is for us to be dead."

"N-no." Sora stammered, hand tightening against Riku's. "They're not going to …"

"I want you to be safe," Riku whispered gently, lips grazing the other's neck.

"But I am safe… with you." Sora reassured Riku, only for Riku to shake his head.

"Yeah, I promised to never let you fall." He pulled the brunette closer, burying his face into his neck in a silent sob.

_**x x x**_

"_So Leon, Cloud, Xemnas, and Aerith are the heroes, right?"_

_Sora sat on the couch, arms crossed to his chest, listening intently to Riku's retelling of the current events in their world. This question was followed by a sharp nod from Riku as he sat back down on the couch, smiling faintly at the brunette beside him._

"_Yeah."_

"_So… who's the bad guy?" Sora dared._

"_Does there have to be?" Riku refuted, grumbling in Sora's obsession with good versus evil._

"_There /has/ to be! If someone doesn't get put into danger or dies nothing will happen and the heroes will never emerge!" Sora went on, throwing his arms up to defend his case._

"_No, there doesn't." Riku retorted with a sigh._

"…_Then what's the whole point? What are we trying to do?" Sora wondered, tilting his head casually._

"_Trying to have fun." Riku corrected, poking Sora's nose lightly._

"_Is that all?"_

"_And to make sure that no matter what happens, we won't lose against the darkness." Riku smirked._

_For once Sora grinned and nodded. "Brilliant!" The young boy exclaimed, throwing his arms around Riku's neck. "You're so smart!"_

"_I know." A blush seeped onto the other's face as he stole his cowboy hat back from Sora, fingering the rainbow bandana, the blush never once leaving his face as he sat there beside the brunette._

_**x x x**_

"So … this place … we made it up after all?" Sora breathed, lips trailing softly against Riku's cheek, trying to calm the other down.

"Yeah …" Riku answered, heart shattering, aching, breaking, but it would heal because he had Sora there. It would heal. "It's all our fault … we put ourselves in danger."

"But we beat it." Sora corrected lightly. "We beat our past. That's a lot to say," Sora reassured Riku, lacing their hands together once more. "Both yours and mine." The brunette leaned forward to kiss Riku sweetly.

"They wanted us dead, Sora." Riku murmured, forehead leaning to the others. The basement wasn't so frightening any longer. Just a dead figment of a old nightmare that never really /was/ that scary after all.

"They just wanted to live. We gave them existence, but not life." Sora replied, sighing as he brushed his nose against the other's.

"Everything we ever did made this happen," Riku continued, his head hurting.

"Yeah," Sora replied, shaking his head in disbelief, "If we had just believed it in the first place and admitted to everything," He felt guilt and grief in his body, "we could have went home along time ago."

"What do you mean?" Riku dared, body numbing.

Sora laughed nervously, "Don't you see it over there? The gas?" Sora nudged his head, "It was down here… if we hadn't been so afraid of everything we would have checked." Sora informed dully and then leaned against Riku once again. "I feel so tired…"

"Same, love." Riku let his arms weakly encircle the other. "But we're going home … we'll never have to come back here again. It's over. We beat it, somehow."

"And it was all a mind game.." Sora whispered before claiming Riku's lips within his own. The silver-haired male eagerly complied, arms pulling Sora closer to him to run his tongue lovingly against the soft lips of the brunette. He never wanted to let him go. Never. "I love you, Riku…" Sora whispered, tears slightly pouring from his eyes. "I've loved you all along," He whispered, lips meshing with the other over and over.

The ringing of Riku's cell phone broke off their embrace.

And perhaps it would have been better to have destroyed the thing when he had the chance.

_**x x x**_

Sora sprung upwards, head hitting an opened drawer of his filing system. A pout formed onto the brunette's lips as he dismally opened his eyes. Blue eyes glimpsed around slowly. Cubicl..e? The teen rose his hand to swipe brown locks out of his eyes as he leaned back, back hitting a comfy chair in the process. His heart dropped as he looked around, meeting the dull faces of his co-workers. What day was it?

November 2nd.

That was … the day he had left for the Riso House in Traverse Town … no.

No.

It was /not/ just a dream.

Fuck, it wasn't.

"N-no…" Sora stammered, something empty in his heart as he scrambled out of his seat to rummage through his paperwork. Desperately looking for something regarding his college paper about the house. It was /here/. God damnit he /swore/ it was here!

It never existed, did it?

"Wh-here," Sora's voice cracked as he slipped back into his chair, burying his face into his hands. His body shook violently, reaching for his phone as his trembling fingers dialed the number he had memorized over the past few days. The number he had stared at while the other risked his life. Riku's cell.

One ring … Two ring … Three ring…

"Hello?"

Sora's stomach fell.

"R-r-iku?" Sora stammered, throat dry.

"Who's this?"

"S-sora!" Sora stammered, this time a bit louder as his mind spun around and around. God. Why had he ended up back here. Of all places. Why couldn't he still be in that dusky basement with Riku. Oh god. Why had he said that he wanted to go home?!

"Sora?... Rait?..."

"Riku…" Sora whimpered into the phone, desperately wishing the other to be holding him again. It couldn't be a dream. It wasn't a dream. The scars on his hands. They were there! This wasn't a dream! The… the locket was still in his pocket!

"Is there a … reason you're calling?" he didn't seem upset, just a bit shocked.

Why didn't Riku remember?!

And then it hit him. Hard and fast.

"Riku…I think it's time that we met up and talked… actually talked."

He was being given a second chance. A second chance from where he had messed up in his past, and redeemed himself in that twisted house. Now he got a chance to live again, and by god he wasn't going to mess this up any more. He. Loved. Riku.

* * *

_fin

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_


End file.
